Santa Cristina Gardena Valley, in summer tradition and culture, in winter ski paradise of the Dolomiti Superski

Residence Boè is in Santa Cristina Gardena.

Santa Cristina is located in Gardena valley in front of Sassolongo, in between Ortisei and Selva di Gardena and it is 1428 m above sea level. It has almost 2,000 inhabitants and it is in the province of Bolzano.

Many ski slopes going to Monte Pana, Ciampinoi, Col Raiser and Seceda leave from here. S. Cristina has a wonderful old town centre, with tipical “baite”, farmers’ houses and “stuben”, tipical restaurants in a tyrolean style with fireplace, where you can taste “speck”, mountain cheese and S. Magdalener vine.

In the summer there are many hikers, while in winter skiers, boarders, cross country skiers...

Skiing in Santa Cristina Gardena

Its skiing district presents many new and fast ski lift systems, which lead you to 176 km of slopes for skiers and snowboarders and 102 km of slopes for cross-country skiers. The skiing area presents many level of difficulty, from the easiest and medium slopes, for all the skiers, to harder slopes for experts.

Santa Cristina is at the finish line of the famous ski slope, the “Saslong” which is used for the World Cup.

From the top of Ciampinoi it's possibile to access the Sellaronda circuit. In Santa Cristina there is an underground lift system, that leads you to the opposite side of the valley into the Seceda’s district, and then if you keep going, you can reach Ortisei. During this tour, you will always be on your ski and you do not have to walk. This is considered one of the longest slope in the whole Alto Adige.

S. Cristina has also a lot to offer even to the cross-country ski lovers. The new cross-country ski centre is located on the “Monte Pana” plateau.  The 8 km panoramic loop is enchanting. It is an easy course and it leads you to the wide expanse of the “palusc” meadow. For experts cross-country skiers, the Monte Pana’s centre offers many possibilities: 1 km, 2,5 km, 3,3 km, 3,75 km, 5 km and 7,5 km loop. While you are skiing, there is the possibility to change loop whenever you want. There is a total of 30 km to be explored.

Summertime in Santa Cristina

In the summer it is possibile to reach many amazing view points,by following trails, which can reach high altitudes, passing through meadows, next to rivers, or old houses. Of all the walking trails, the one suggested is “Sentiero Planetario”:
In S. Cristina, along the trail of the old Val Gardena’s train – nowaday has been transformed in a walking trail – it is located on of the most interessing planetarium-trail in the whole Alto Adige. The nine planets in our solar system (earth included) are shown in a distance’s proportion; Panels have been assembled and on it, there are the most significant information (diameter, density, distance from the sun, number of moons, etc.). The trail has been created with a pedagocial cause, in order to give to the visitors, both young and older, a real idea of the dimension of the space.

Culture and Traditions in Santa Cristina Gardena

S. Cristina, located nearby the prehistoric „Troi Paian“ road, is the oldest pastoral centre of the valley.
Here, before 1300, a chapel to S. Cristina has been dedicated. Nowadays, there are still some ruins of the romanic church such as the bell tower. The church has been restructured and enlarged many times in the past years. To see today there is the old altar built by the Vinazer, local artists, in 1690. And the copper statue of S. Filomena, located in Piazza Municipio (made by Dominik Mahlknecht).

In S. Cristina it is possible to admire the biggest crib of the world. It has been shown since august 2000 in the leisure centre Iman and it was made by S. Cristina’ sculptors. The idea was born in 1988 with the first representation dedicated to Madonna with Jesus. Every year new representation and sculpure are made, and they will be placed in the crib with the others.