Five tables and two Michelin stars: at the Hotel Castel, above Merano, the fine-dining restaurant serves only a handful of guests each evening, but among hotels for golfers it is not the only kitchen with a distinct name behind the stove.
A golf resort is judged by its evenings too. After the eighteenth green, the kitchen decides whether the day ends well, and in Italy a few hotels for golfers have entrusted their tables to names worth knowing. In the hotels below the kitchen has a distinct name: a chef who runs it, a restaurant listed by the Michelin Guide or Gambero Rosso, and a golf course within the resort or a short drive away. Stars change from year to year: before booking, check them in the guide.
Chefs with the course behind the hotel
Verdura Resort, Sciacca: Fulvio Pierangelini
The best-known name at the Verdura Resort is Nagori, the Japanese-Sicilian cuisine of Fulvio Pierangelini, housed in the old Saracen tower and open for dinner from June to October. The other restaurants range from Zagara, with its sea view, to Amare for fish, and the trattoria-pizzeria Liolà. The golf is 45 holes by Kyle Phillips: at the Verdura Golf Club the West Shore and the Executive are affected by works until spring 2027.
Masseria Torre Maizza, Apulia: Pierangelini again
The same chef signs the seasonal, Apulian menu of the Carosello at Masseria Torre Maizza, in the masseria's former stables. The course is a nine-hole par-27 executive layout on the estate; for a full round, look to the nearby San Domenico Golf, 18 holes, which admits outside players only at certain times according to Masseria Torre Coccaro, so it is best to call the secretary's office.
Borgo Egnazia, Savelletri: Domingo Schingaro
Borgo Egnazia has eight restaurants. Due Camini, led by Domingo Schingaro and built around vegetables and Apulian produce, held one Michelin star every year from 2019 to 2024; the 2026 Gambero Rosso guide named it best vegetarian experience. The course, San Domenico Golf, is next to the resort.
Argentario Golf & Wellness Resort: Emiliano Lombardelli
The executive chef is Emiliano Lombardelli, born on the Argentario. The fine-dining restaurant Dama Dama is listed by Gambero Rosso (Ristoranti d'Italia 2026); the Club House serves Tuscan classics, and part of the vegetables, herbs, honey and oil comes from the estate's organic garden. The course is the Argentario Golf Club, which on 29 June 2025 hosted Adrien Saddier's win at the 82nd Italian Open; the hotel is the Argentario Golf & Wellness Resort.
La Meridiana, Garlenda: Roberto Conti
La Meridiana combines the cooking of its territory with a signature cellar. Rosmarino, run by executive chef Roberto Conti, works with extra-virgin olive oil and Taggiasca olives, the violet asparagus of Albenga and the cheeses of the Col di Nava valleys; it is open in the evening from Tuesday to Sunday. The cellar holds more than 2,000 labels, built up over more than twenty years by Edmondo Segre. The Golf Club Garlenda is within walking distance of the hotel.
Castiglion del Bosco: two stars and a private course
The fine-dining restaurant of Castiglion del Bosco, Campo del Drago, has two Michelin stars: chef Matteo Temperini offers, according to the Guide, a personal and creative reading of regional cuisine, with plenty of vegetables from the estate's garden and a list of more than 700 labels. Dinner is served Tuesday to Saturday. The golf club is private, but hotel guests can play the 18 holes of the Castiglion del Bosco by booking in advance. In autumn the cellar hosts the Dinner with Brunello evenings, on the dates published by the hotel: 26 October and 2, 9, 24 and 30 November.
South Tyrol: three starred kitchens above Merano and in the Passeier Valley
- Hotel Castel (Tirol): the Castel fine dining has two stars in the 2026 Michelin Guide. Gerhard Wieser works with char and trout from nearby farms and South Tyrolean Wagyu; there are five tables, facing a 15-metre window over the Merano basin. Dinner is served Tuesday to Saturday. The Hotel Castel has no course, but its stay includes the Golfcard with a 20% discount on green fees at the province's nine courses.
- Castel Fragsburg (Merano): the fine-dining restaurant Prezioso has one star in the 2026 Michelin Guide. Egon Heiss offers a single seasonal tasting menu of mountain ingredients, with vegetables from a 2,000 m² garden. Castel Fragsburg has neither a course nor golf packages: the hotel points to Golf Club Passiria (18 holes) and Lana (9) about half an hour away by car.
- Quellenhof Passeier: the Gourmetstube 1897 received its first Michelin star on 19 November 2025, confirmed in the 2026 guide. Michael Mayr has been in the kitchen since 2017, with maître d' and sommelier Matteo Lattanzi in the dining room and a cellar of about 1,200 labels. The Quellenhof Passeier is a founding member of the Golf Club Passeier.Meran, five minutes away by car, and has four holes of its own.
Lake Garda: Il Fagiano and the three Brescia clubs
At the Grand Hotel Fasano the flagship restaurant is Il Fagiano, led by Maurizio Bufi and awarded one Michelin star; the Guide describes its cooking as creative and contemporary, with echoes of the chef's native Apulia and of the lake. The hotel has no course of its own: its sports page lists Golf Bogliaco, Gardagolf and Arzaga, and it publishes no golf packages.
Curiosities
- Nagori is open only from June to October. Anyone who wants Pierangelini's Japanese-Sicilian cuisine at Verdura must choose the season.
- One name, two regions. Fulvio Pierangelini signs the kitchens of Verdura, in Sicily, and of Torre Maizza, in Apulia.
- Five tables. That is the size of the two-star restaurant at the Hotel Castel, facing a 15-metre window.
- The house wine at Garlenda. The cellar at La Meridiana holds more than 2,000 labels and is explored with Edmondo Segre in a half-hour tasting, Monday to Thursday.
Frequently asked questions
Which Italian golf resorts have a starred restaurant?+
The Castel fine dining at the Hotel Castel (two stars), Campo del Drago at Castiglion del Bosco (two), Prezioso at Castel Fragsburg, the Gourmetstube 1897 at the Quellenhof Passeier and Il Fagiano at the Grand Hotel Fasano (one each). Due Camini at Borgo Egnazia held a star from 2019 to 2024.
Where does Fulvio Pierangelini cook among hotels for golfers?+
At the Carosello in Masseria Torre Maizza, in Apulia, and at Nagori in the Verdura Resort, in Sicily.
Are the starred restaurants open all year?+
Not always. Nagori at Verdura is open for dinner from June to October; the Castel fine dining closed for the 2025-26 winter break from 8 November to 15 April.
Can I play golf if I stay in a hotel without a course?+
It depends. The Hotel Castel includes the Golfcard with a 20% discount on green fees in South Tyrol, while Castel Fragsburg offers no packages and points to nearby clubs.
How much does it cost to play the Argentario Golf Club?+
In 2026 the 18-hole green fee runs from 120 euros in low season to 170 euros between June and September.
Is the Castiglion del Bosco course open to everyone?+
No: it is a private club. Hotel guests can play the 18 holes by booking their tee time in advance.
