Val Gardena

Gardena is one of the valleys where Ladin is still spoken, a Rhaeto-Romance language descended from the Latin of the Roman Alps and used alongside German and Italian, with its own schools and media. Woodcarving began here as winter work in the seventeenth century and grew into an export trade in toys, figures and religious sculpture that reached across Europe; workshops still operate in Ortisei, Santa Cristina and Selva, and the local museum holds historic pieces. In winter the valley is part of the Sellaronda circuit around the Sella massif, and it hosts a World Cup downhill on the Saslong course.

History

The first written record of the valley dates from between 993 and 1005, when Count Otto of the Bavarian Rapoton family gave a forest "ad Gredine", in Val Gardena, to Bishop Gottschalk of Freising (Wikipedia, Val Gardena).

Highlights

• The Ladin language - a Rhaeto-Romance tongue still in daily use.
• The carving workshops - a trade exporting wooden figures since the 1600s.
• The Sellaronda - a lift circuit around the Sella massif in winter.
• The Saslong - a World Cup downhill course above Santa Cristina.

When to go

December to April for skiing and June to September for walking. The shoulder seasons of May and November see most lifts and many hotels closed.

Things to know

Prices are high in both main seasons and accommodation books far ahead. Much sold as local carving is imported. Lifts close entirely between seasons.

Nearby

Alpe di Siusi lies west; the Sella group rises east.

Key facts