Ortisei (Urtijëi in Ladin) is the main village of Val Gardena, and its pedestrian centre is the place to get a feel for the valley once you come down off the peaks. You walk under the arcades past painted houses, along a busy main street of cafés and shop windows, in a place that stays lively in every season. It's one of the strongholds of Ladin culture, one of the oldest language minorities in the Alps. Here it isn't folklore put on for postcards: it's a language people speak every day, along with their traditions.
Val Gardena is known the world over for wood sculpture, a craft that started as a winter job for the valley's farmers and grew over the centuries into an art recognised internationally. Museum Gherdëina tells that story. It sits in the Cësa di Ladins in the centre, open since 1960, and holds sacred sculptures by the great masters alongside secular figures, animals, nativity scenes, carved chess pieces and toys, plus Dolomite geological specimens and finds from the valley's prehistory. If you're mixing hiking with a bit of culture, a wander through the workshops and a stop at the museum round it off nicely, ideally ending with some Ladin food.
Frequently asked questions
What is there to see in the historic centre of Ortisei?
The pedestrian zone with its arcades and typical houses, the parish church, Museum Gherdëina on Ladin culture and Dolomite geology, and the many wood-carving workshops, the real craft pride of the valley.
Why is Ortisei associated with wood carving?
The carving tradition grew out of what Val Gardena's farmers did in winter and turned, over the centuries, into an art recognised internationally. Today workshops and studios in Ortisei keep it going, and Museum Gherdëina traces its history.