Val Gardena, South Tyrol, Dolomites, Italy Dec 20, 2023

The Val Gardena valley in Northern Italy is renowned as a tourist destination for skiing, rock climbing and woodcarving enthusiasts. Don"t let the model village appearance fool you, Val Gardena is a real, yet magical site in the Dolomites of South Tyrol that transforms in winter. Wooden huts open their doors to visitors, and a nostalgic cable car ride, each cabin adorned with twinkling fairy lights, travels above the village. During the 18th century, the valley became famous for its production of statuettes and intricately carved wooden figurines, which were initially crafted to decorate Catholic churches. Amongst those creations, the peg wooden doll emerged as one of Val Gardena"s best-known products and is still being produced today.

© Ingus Kruklitis/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Dec 20, 2024Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland
Dec 20, 2025Red fox

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Feb 2, 2025Alpine marmot
Oct 21, 2023Persepolis, Iran
Sep 22, 2024Buttermere, Lake District National Park, England, United Kingdom
Jun 27, 2025Splendid leaf frog
May 11, 2024Indigo bunting
Nov 25, 2024Maasai giraffes
Jul 27, 2024Vineyards above the Moselle River, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Feb 19, 2026Dragons Eye, Uttakleiv Beach, Norway
Aug 18, 2024Huntington Beach Pier, California, USA
Oct 16, 2024Jurassic Coast, Dorset, England
Jan 28, 2026Whanganui National Park, Retaruke, New Zealand
Sep 18, 2023Milky Way over Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park, Portugal
Dec 24, 2023Town Hall Square, Tartu, Estonia
Jan 11, 2024Eurasian lynx
Oct 8, 2024Mototi octopus
Jul 23, 2025Vatican City, Rome, Italy
Aug 26, 2024Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge
Nov 14, 2024Manarola, Cinque Terre National Park, Liguria, Italy
Sep 5, 2024Toronto, Canada
Sep 10, 2025Hay bales in North Yorkshire, England
Mar 25, 2025European goldfinches
Oct 19, 2024Temple of Hathor, Dendera Temple Complex, Qena, Egypt
Jan 22, 2026Karlovy Vary, Bohemia, Czechia
Apr 26, 2024Kalaloch Tree of Life, Olympic National Park, Washington, USA
Aug 10, 2024Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA
May 6, 2024Heidelberg on the river Neckar, Germany
Nov 22, 2023Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA
Oct 22, 2025Belogradchik Rocks, Bulgaria
Oct 31, 2024Edinburgh Castle, Scotland, United Kingdom
May 5, 2024Colonnade in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico