From Jägermeister to beetroot: the “king of bitters” and his daughter have transformed Merano into a wellness retreat

Luciano Pavarotti, Barbra Streisand, Eros Ramazzotti, Lucio Dalla. Ornella Muti, Luciano Ligabue, Gualtiero Marchesi, Diego Armando Maradona. This isn’t the roster of a top-tier talent agency, but just a few of the hundreds of guests who, for over forty years, have stayed at Italy’s first beauty farm — one that has shaped the history of South Tyrol and the entire country. We’re talking about Villa Eden in Merano, today a five-star luxury hotel with a fine dining restaurant of just four tables, headed by chef Marcello Corrado. People come here to detox, both body and soul, and to reconnect with nature:
“Pavarotti came for a weight-loss programme and to rest after his concerts, but after a few days without pasta, he’d get a little grumpy,” recalls Angelika Schmidt with a smile, now head of the family-run business. “He was a down-to-earth character and often sang on the terrace, giving other guests the privilege of a little private show.”

The story of Karl Schmidt, the King of Bitters

It all began with the forward-thinking mind of Karl Schmidt, Angelika’s father, now 83 years old, who back in 1982 had the visionary idea to create a place that didn’t exist yet in Italy. To understand Villa Eden’s philosophy, we need to step back to the late 1960s and early 1970s:
“At just twenty-two, my father discovered Jägermeister at a trade fair and struck a deal with the company to import and distribute it in Italy. After a few years, he became the licensed producer for Italy and built a large, modern factory in South Tyrol — the first of its kind in the country,” Angelika explains. The success was so great that Karl Schmidt eventually earned the nickname “King of Bitters” in Italy.

On the left, a young Karl Schmidt with his family of butchers in Merano.

Jägermeister was both a blessing and a curse for the innovative concept that would become Villa Eden, as Angelika explains:
“Dad had always struggled with his weight, especially because his work involved travelling around selling bitters and liqueurs. That’s why he often visited Austria and Germany — at the time, the only countries offering proper weight-loss programmes.”
Hence the brilliant idea to transform a private villa into Italy’s first wellness centre, now internationally renowned. In 1993, Angelika Schmidt took over the business, now run with support from her brothers and husband. And Mr Karl? After losing the Jägermeister licence, he began producing his own bitter liqueur, Daccapo, made with 61 herbs and an alcohol content of 30%.

Villa Eden today

Those who come to Villa Eden know they’ll have to leave behind stress, worries, and obsessions, and immerse themselves in a place with one purpose only: regeneration. The hotel has 25 suites and offers wellness and fitness programmes such as Pilates:
“We have several health programmes — some weekly, others short-term — including anti-cellulite, remise en forme, weight care, or immunoplus to strengthen the immune system,” explains Angelika Schmidt. Villa Eden is home to a medical team led by Dr Emanuele De Nobili, who, through consultations and a check-up including a medical examination, suggests the most suitable path to achieving each guest’s goals.

There are rooms for massages and full-body treatments with seaweed and natural oils, waiting areas to relax with a detox drink, and two peaceful terraces overlooking a vast garden set within three hectares — the entire area occupied by Villa Eden. Here, guests can breathe in the lush air of Merano’s flora, admire century-old Lebanese cedars, and relax to the sounds of frogs and birds of every kind.

Nutrition at Villa Eden

Naturally, proper nutrition is essential for a healthy, regenerated body.
“At Eden’s Park Restaurant, the hotel’s main restaurant, we serve a detoxifying menu, carefully crafted with highly anti-inflammatory principles,” says Angelika Schmidt. The lunch menu features a buffet with all sorts of vegetables — unsalted and lightly dressed — while the à la carte menu includes low-carb, gluten-free dishes with no dairy or derivatives.
“We also follow the chronodiet,” Schmidt explains, “serving foods with a higher glycaemic load in the earlier part of the day, and only vegetables and fish-based proteins in the evening. This helps align with the circadian rhythm of hormones responsible for metabolism.”

Fine dining at Eden’s Park Restaurant

Chef Marcello Corrado

Within Villa Eden there is also a small fine dining restaurant with just four tables, helmed by chef Marcello Corrado, who joined this regenerative paradise about four years ago. With over twenty years’ experience (including La Peca, Casa del Nonno 13, and Osteria Perillà), his delicate touch aligns perfectly with Villa Eden’s ethos.
“We’re lucky to live in South Tyrol and can take full advantage of the region’s outstanding produce,” says Angelika Schmidt. “The chef is committed to local sourcing and zero-kilometre food, which is why we buy from small organic producers in the area: sauerkraut, tomatoes, courgettes, apples (of course), apricots and plums. Fish like char and rainbow trout come from a tightly regulated fish farm. There’s also game and consistently excellent meat.”
Two menus are available, explains Angelika:
“One is very light with five courses — we’ve deliberately removed bread and petit fours — and the other has seven courses, a hymn to the territory made entirely with South Tyrolean ingredients. It proves that pleasure and health can indeed go hand in hand.”

Tutto Rosso

The signature dish on Corrado’s pleasure menu is the Tutto Rosso — a blend of culinary enjoyment and wellness:
“It’s beetroot prepared in various textures: carpaccio, gel, pickled, vacuum-cooked, and even as an ice cream with red onion,” the chef explains. Beetroot is the ultimate detox vegetable, rich in antioxidant, digestive, and purifying properties.
“It’s a dish many guests turn their nose up at initially, but they all change their minds once they taste it,” Corrado concludes.

The wines served come from the Rametz Castle estate, owned by the Schmidt family, along with other selections from around the world. The wine list, curated by Villa Eden’s Operations Director Giovanni Baccaro, also includes fermented drinks — particularly those from Feral, beetroot-based and perfectly paired with the dishes on offer.

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