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The latest trend for a girly holiday is a “wellness” break. Wellness is the proactive and preventative approach designed to provide optimum levels of health, emotional and social functioning.
Wellness – a Holistic Approach
To achieve optimum wellness levels the whole body needs to be stimulated, so not only does it need to be fed nutritionally balanced meals that promote good health, but also the mind and body need to be stimulated.
In Val Gardena, there are opportunities to relax the body with massages and saunas, tone it by swimming in the pools that are fed by natural springs and increase stamina by more energetic exercise. Mountain biking, Nordic walking and skiing all use different muscle groups so that overall body fitness is improved. In fact just about any outdoor activity can be done in Val Gardena, including paragliding, canoeing, sledding – even mushrooming in season.
Val Gardena, a championship location
Val Gardena is a beautiful valley situated in the Dolomites in Northern Italy. The alpine meadows and ski pistes around the villages rise up to 2518 m and the mountain peaks up to 3181 m. It has been famous for its skiing since hosting the 1970 Alpine Ski Championships and now it has added rock climbing, walking, mountain biking and Nordic walking paths. All of this, set in a location that has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status.
The Villages
There are three villages that make up the valley of Val Gardena. Selva Gardena – located at the end of the valley and sheltered under the awe inspiring World Heritage peaks. It is an excellent starting point for sports and outdoor activities. S. Cristina – nestling in the heart is a little gem – literally – as it is located on the sunny side. In summer it is the starting point for excursions along the walking trails in the nature park. And Ortisei, considered to be the capital balances culture and events with the powerful silence of the mountains. The village has direct lift connections to the ski and hiking areas making it a great spot for a wellness break.
Accommodation for a Healthy Life
There are many places to stay in Val Gardena ranging from small chalets through to 4* luxury hotels like the Hotel Savoy (www.hotel-savoy.it) – a small luxury spa hotel – which offer a varied selection of accommodation to suit any budget. The resort is safe at night and as it is both a winter and summer resort, all the rooms are designed for year round living.
Eating & Cuisine
There are countless restaurants, bars and pastry shops in Val Gardena. South Tyrol food is healthy and tasty; dumplings and strudels mix with Mediterranean style food to make a unique eating experience. Most of the larger hotels offer menus for healthy eating and the local food specialities just have to be tasted. Crafuncins is a spinach ravioli dish, puessl an apple tart and then there are several buckwheat dishes. Buckwheat is gluten-free and considered to be one of the world’s “superfoods”. During the summer the tourist associations in the town organise cooking classes focusing on these local specialities, which are great fun for girls to do together.
Nightlife
Start the evening in style with an aperitif in one of the bars in the traffic-free areas of the Val Gardena and then continue with dancing until late at night. Both Ortisei and Selva Gardena have disco bars that are open winter and summer.
Getting Around
The Val Gardena Card is a personal, 3/6 day pass that allows unlimited and free access to all the lifts operating in summer and to all the buses and coaches in the “South Tyrol Pass” network. In winter there is a ski bus that runs every 15 minutes, connecting all the villages in the valley.
Tourist Offices
There is a tourist office in each of the three villages and here visitors can make bookings for accommodation and activities and obtain more information and guides.
