In the centre of Ortisei, the main town of the Val Gardena, the “most beautiful shopping street in the Dolomites” awaits you
Ortisei stretches from the Val Gardena valley floor to the Rasciesa ridge. This high plateau in the Puez-Odle Nature Park is a popular hiking area in summer and features a sledge run in winter. The main village of Ortisei and the hamlet of San Giacomo are part of the municipality. The localities of Bulla, Roncadizza and Oltretorrente belong to Ortisei in ecclesiastical, linguistic and spatial-geographical terms, but are otherwise part of the municipality of Castelrotto. A small mountain road leads from Ortisei to the Passo Pinei and Castelrotto.
Ortisei, Urtijëi in Ladin, is known far beyond the borders for its woodcarving art and finely crafted nativity figures. The centre is made up of traditional houses, small shops, long-established hotels and a pedestrian zone described as the most beautiful in the Dolomites. It connects the parish church of St. Ulrich with the Renaissance church of St. Anthony of Padua. There is also the Cësa di Ladins, the Ladin House with the Museum Gherdëina, which tells about the Val Gardena valley and its history.
The active offer in Ortisei is determined by the surrounding alpine world. Mt. Rasciesa, Mt. Seceda and Mont Seuc (Alpe di Siusi) transform the area into a paradise for hikers and mountain bikers in summer and for skiers, winter hikers and cross-country skiers in winter. The Val Gardena Ski Area, annual venue of the FIS Ski World Cup Val Gardena, is connected to the Sella Ronda as well as to the Alpe di Siusi Ski Area and the large Dolomiti Superski ski association. On the edge of the village, in Oltretorrente, the Mar Dolomit offers an indoor swimming pool with sauna for best relaxation.
