South Tyrol

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Val Gardena in the holiday region Dolomites

In the midst of the Dolomites lies the 25 km long Val Gardena, called Gröden in German. It reaches from Ponte Gardena in the Valle Isarco all the way up to the Passo Sella and the Passo Gardena in the far east. As it is the case with many valleys in the Dolomites the Val Gardena only widens towards the end of the valley after the narrow section near Pontives. The village also marks the language boundary between the German- and the Ladinian-speaking population. In the Val Gardena as well as in the Val Badia South Tyrol’s third local language, the Ladinian, has been preserved up to the present day. Gherdëina is the Rhaeto-Romanic term for the Val Gardena. The Ladinian valley comprises the following three municipalities: Ortisei, Santa Cristina, and Selva at the foot of the Sassolungo.

Selva di Gardena in the holiday region Val Gardena Selva di Gardena in the holiday region Val Gardena

All of these localities lie only about 8 km apart. About 350 years ago this valley became world-famous for the art of woodcarving. Moreover the Val Gardena has a good international reputation as an outstanding holiday region.