Val Gardena and Ortisei
The village of woodcarvers
The Val Gardena (Gröden, Gherdëina in Ladin) is one of the most famous valleys of the Dolomites, a green valley of meadows and woods surrounded by the Sassolungo, the Sella, the Odle and the Alpe di Siusi. Like Val di Fassa, it is a Ladin valley, where the inhabitants speak Ladin together with German and Italian and preserve their own culture and traditions. Its main village, Ortisei (St. Ulrich), at about 1,230 metres, is an elegant resort with a pedestrian centre of colourful houses, shops and churches, and is the starting point for some of the most beautiful lifts in the Dolomites.
The Val Gardena is famous all over the world for its woodcarving: since the seventeenth century, the peasants of the valley, during the long winters, carved wooden toys, statues and figures, which were sold by peddlers all over Europe, and over time this craft became an art. Still today, dozens of workshops in Ortisei produce sacred statues, nativity figures, sculptures and toys, and the streets of the village are decorated with wooden statues. The Museum Gherdëina tells the history and culture of the valley, with a collection of carvings, toys, and finds, and a section dedicated to the mountaineer and filmmaker Luis Trenker, who was born here. From Ortisei, cable cars climb to the Seceda, to the Alpe di Siusi and, with a funicular, to the Resciesa, while the valley also includes the villages of Santa Cristina and Selva, where the World Cup downhill on the Saslong is held every December.
Tip: visit a woodcarving workshop to see the artisans at work; the Val Gardena Christmas markets are among the most charming.
Where it is
More things to see in Trentino-South Tyrol
Where to stay near Ortisei
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