Badia, which occupies the main part of Alta Badia, stretches between the Puez-Odle and Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Parks
If you continue along the Val Badia road to San Martino in Badia, you will come to Badia. High up in the mountain world of the Dolomites, the Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park extends to the east, reaching as far as Lake Braies, and the Santa Croce (La Crusc) Massif with its beautiful pilgrimage church. Below it lies Oies, the birthplace of St. Giuseppe Freinademetz. On the other side, towards west, you will find the Gardenaccia High Plateau and the Puez-Odle Nature Park.
The holiday resort of Badia, as it is called in Ladin and Italian, consists of several districts. These include the village of San Leonardo below the mighty Santa Croce Massif, Pedraces with its Lake Sompunt, San Cassiano with the Museum Ladin Ursus ladinicus, and La Villa with the famous Gran Risa ski slope, venue in the Alpine Ski World Cup. The municipal area of Badia therefore occupies the main part of Alta Badia. With the Saint Leonard Horse Ride, the harvest festival on horseback, the village attaches great importance to its traditions.
The hamlets that characterise Badia give the place its rural charm. They are called Viles, village settlements made up of several farms as well as some common buildings, such as the fountain, the oven, the chapel and the access roads. Directly from the village, the lifts start in summer to destinations such as the Summerpark La Crusc and the Gardenacia Mountain Hut. In winter, they form the entrance to the Alta Badia Skiing Area, which dominates winter sports in Alta Badia with 130 km of slopes and other structures such as cross-country ski tracks and sledge runs.
