Val Gardena (; german: Gröden ; lld, Gherdëina ) is a valley in
Northern Italy
Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative Regions ...
, in the
Dolomites
The Dolomites ( it, Dolomiti ; Ladin: ''Dolomites''; german: Dolomiten ; vec, Dołomiti : fur, Dolomitis), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form pa ...
of
South Tyrol
it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol
, settlement_type = Autonomous province
, image_skyline =
, image_alt ...
. It is best known as a tourist
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ...
,
rock climbing, and
woodcarving
Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentati ...
area.
Geography
The valley's main river is the
Derjon
The Derjon ( lld, Derjon; it, Rio Gardena; german: Grödner Bach) is a stream in South Tyrol, Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the mid ...
, a tributary of the
Eisack
The Eisack (german: Eisack, ; it, Isarco ; Latin: ''Isarus'' or ''Isarcus'') is a river in Northern Italy, the second largest river in South Tyrol. Its source is near the Brenner Pass, at an altitude of about 1990 m above sea level. The river draw ...
river. The mountains that surround the valley are formed by
dolomite rocks, which confer on them a characteristic appearance. Most of the steep slopes are covered by pine woods. The favoured cultivations are barley, rye, potatoes, flax, buckwheat. The three municipalities in Val Gardena are
Urtijëi,
Sëlva, and
Santa Cristina; they were served by the
Val Gardena Railway from 1916 until 1960.
Culture
Val Gardena is one of five valleys with a majority of
Ladin speakers (two of these valleys are in
South Tyrol
it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol
, settlement_type = Autonomous province
, image_skyline =
, image_alt ...
). The form of the Ladin language spoken in this valley is called ''Gardenese'' in
Italian, ''Grödnerisch'' in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
and ''Gherdëina'' in
Ladin.
Woodcarving
The woodcarving industry has flourished in Val Gardena since the 17th century. Since the 19th century,
statue
A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...
s and
altars carved in the area have been shipped to
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
es throughout the world. In the 18th century, besides religious statuettes, the production of woodcarved figurines of genre art was widespread in the valley. Among them statuettes of
beggars generally in pairs (female and male), four seasons, watchstands were very popular. In the 19th and 20th century, carving of wooden toys was such a widespread occupation in all Gardenese families that
Amelia Edwards called Urtijëi the "capital of Toyland". One of the valley's best-known products is the
peg wooden doll which was popular all over Europe and America in the 19th century.
In one of her many trips
Margaret Warner Morley went to Europe to Val Gardena where she was inspired to write the novel ''Donkey John of the toy valley''.
The
Parish Church of Urtijëi displays a rich collection of statues carved by local artists in the last two centuries. The
Museum Gherdëina in Urtijëi owns a rich collection of historical wooden toys, and woodcarved statues and
figurine
A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many media, with cla ...
s.
Sports
Skiing
The valley hosted the
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships is an alpine skiing competition organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS).
History
The inaugural world championships in alpine skiing were held in 1931. During the 1930s, the event was held annual ...
in
1970.
Val Gardena is home to the ''Saslong Classic'', a men's
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
downhill race that has been held almost every year since
1969. Since
2002 (and in
1983), the downhill has been paired with a
Super-G race, and from 1979 to 1982 a
combined
Combined may refer to:
* Alpine combined (skiing), the combination of slalom and downhill skiing as a single event
** Super combined (skiing)
* Nordic combined (skiing), the combination of cross country skiing and ski jumping as a single event
* T ...
event was held. The Saslong course is considered one of the five "classic" men's downhill races, along with
Garmisch-Partenkirchen's Kandahar (
GER),
Kitzbühel's
Hahnenkamm
Hahnenkamm (means "comb") may refer to
*Hahnenkamm (Verwaltungsgemeinschaft), a federation of municipalities in Bavaria, Germany
* Hahnenkamm, Greenland, a mountain in the Stauning Alps, Greenland
*Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel
The Hahnenkamm is a mo ...
(
AUT
AUT may refer to the following.
Locations
*Austria (ISO 3166-1 country code)
* Agongointo-Zoungoudo Underground Town, Benin
*Aktio–Preveza Undersea Tunnel, Greece
*Airstrip on Atauro Island, East Timor (IATA airport code)
Organizations
* Arr ...
),
Wengen's
Lauberhorn (
SUI), and
Val-d'Isère
Val-d'Isère (, literally ''Valley of Isère'') is a commune of the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department ( Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region) in southeastern France. It lies from the border with Italy. It is on the border of the Vanoise Na ...
's Criterium (
FRA). It is well known for the "Camel Humps" (or "Bumps"), a series of three small jumps which racers must negotiate in quick succession. Two men have won the Saslong title four times in a career: Austrian
Franz Klammer (1975, two races in 1976, and 1982) and Italy's
Kristian Ghedina (1996, 1998, 1999, and 2001). If Super-G wins are also included, two other men have matched that feat:
Peter Müller of Switzerland and Austrian
Michael Walchhofer.
A women's
slalom and parallel slalom were also held in
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
.
Val Gardena is part of the
Sella Ronda alpine
ski touring circuit.
Other sports
The
Gardena Spring Trophy
The Egna Spring Trophy, formerly the Gardena Spring Trophy (through 2016), is an annual international figure skating competition. It is held every spring in Val Gardena in Italy. Medals are awarded in men's and ladies' singles and sometimes in ot ...
is an annual international figure skating competition held every spring in the Valley.
Val Gardena has a
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Copp ...
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two o ...
team, the
Hockey Club Gardena.
Notable residents
*
Carolina Kostner, figure skater
*
Isolde Kostner, ski-champion
*
Giorgio Moroder
Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer, songwriter, and record producer. Dubbed the " Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance music. His work with synthesizers had ...
, record producer, songwriter, performer and DJ
*
Josef Moroder-Lusenberg, painter
See also
*
Woodcarved beggars
General sources
*
Amelia Edwards. ''Untrodden peaks and unfrequented valleys. A midsummer ramble in the Dolomites.'' Longman's, Green and Co. London 1873.
*
Margaret Warner Morley. ''Donkey John of the toy valley''. Chicago A. C. McClurg & Co. 1909.
Citations
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Ladinia
Valleys of South Tyrol
Ski areas and resorts in Italy