Slow Food Travel

Carinthia’s Gailtal Valley and Lesachtal Valley have become the worldwide first Slow Food Travel Destination. This project is in the hands of the food artisans and producers who have always been living the "Slow Food Philosophy" in this almost silent border region in the south of Austria. In line with this slow enjoyment, you can also watch the artisans at work and will benefit from the knowledge they share.

Our journey takes you to the kitchens, smokehouses and ripening cellars, to the beehives and bread baking ovens, to the grain mills and butter churns of the many small producers presenting wealth of traditions & farming skills. Thus, delightful bridges between guest and region can be built easily.

 If you come here and put your trust in the diverse programme, then you are surely happy to lend a hand, to help, to experience how bread and cheese loaves are made with a few skilled hand movements and to learn how golden honey or creamy white polenta is made.

This gives you a new, delightful feeling for the real value of these natural and excellent food products. The time needed to make these slow products is reflected in the quality many times over. Aim is to take the consumers back to the places where our food originally comes from.

Here at the Hotel Schloss Lerchenhof, we live this philosophy of enjoyment too and we have always appreciated the use of seasonal and regional products. Experience all stages of the bacon production during a “Fascination Bacon“ Slow Food seminar here at the castle.

Here at Hotel Schloss Lerchenhof – one of only 17 certified producers of the protected Gailtal Valley Bacon (GI) – you learn everything about animal welfare, proper curing and smoking on a tour guided by the castle proprietor Hans.

In line with our philosophy “A good product needs time“, every seminar participant will receive a self produced piece of real Gailtal Valley Bacon by post six months later and a Bacon Certificate as personal confirmation of participation.

Talk to us and learn everything about Slow Food Travel and traditional bacon making here at our Hotel Schloss Lerchenhof!