Gröden - Val Gardena, a holiday region in the Dolomites in South Tyrol

Val Gardena is a valley with a total of 10,000 inhabitants located in South Tyrol, Italy. It is surrounded by the Dolomites of Val Gardena (including Rasciesa, Seceda, Geisler peaks, Puez peaks, Cir peaks, Sella Group, Sassolungo Group and Sciliar Group) and is crossed by the 25-km-long Rio Gardena (Derjon).

Val Gardena consists of three communities: Ortisei, S. Cristina and Selva Gardena. The native language of the Gardena population is Ladin, a Rhaeto-Romance language spoken in Trentino South Tyrol, Veneto and in some valleys in Switzerland. The valley officially speaks three languages, which is why all names are given in German, Italian and Ladin.

Woodcarving is one of the traditional crafts in Val Gardena. The art of sculpting evolved in the seventeenth century in Pescosta, a group from Ortisei, and is still one of the leading commercial sectors of the valley today.

The valley is also especially known for its (ski) tourism and the numerous international events such as the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup on the Saslong ski slope and the Sellaronda HERO, the hardest mountain bike race in the Dolomites. Val Gardena is part of the Dolomiti Superski area with its famous Sella Ronda and has a total of 175 km of perfectly prepared ski slopes, 83 ski lifts and 115 km of cross-country ski trails. In the summer, the valley is a popular holiday destination for hikers, mountain bikers and alpinists.