Puccinis at Bar del Posta
The taste of Cortina
Words: Isabella Rabensteiner;
Photography: Mike Rabensteiner (Montamont)
21. März 2026
The Puccini del Posta has become a small emblem of the season. Freshly pressed mandarins folded into Champagne, poured into the house glass – instantly recognisable to those who know. If you find yourself in Cortina, step inside Hotel de la Poste. And order the yellow one.
Cortina
Dressed for snow
Still under the spell of the Olympic winter, we arrive in Cortina and check into a classic. The neon script of the Hotel de la Poste glows against the mountain air. Inside, wood, brass, stories in the walls.
By early afternoon, when the first sun reaches the terrace, chairs begin to turn towards the light. A scent of freshly pressed mandarin drifts out from the bar. Coats are shrugged off and sunglasses appear. The crowd settles into that particular Cortina posture and orders Puccinis as if it were the most natural thing in the world. There is no view quite like this one. The peaks hold the horizon in place while the glasses catch the sun. We follow suit.
If the Bellini belongs to summer, the Puccini is its colder, equally charming sibling. Not lesser. Just dressed for snow. In 1948, bartender Renato Hausmann created the Puccini at the Bar del Posta and served it for the very first time – the simple blend of freshly pressed mandarin and sparkling wine quickly became the drink of the town’s winter set. Our first was not our last.
