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:

June 22, 2026Quinault rainforest, Olympic National Park, Washington state, USA
Dec 6, 2025Everglades National Park, Florida
May 5, 2026Field of blue agave near Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico
Sep 19, 2023Hadrians Wall, England
Jun 23, 2024Dhaka, Bangladesh
Apr 1, 2026Japanese tree frog in a pink morning glory
Dec 23, 2025Lagazzuolo Lake, Valmalenco, Lombardy, Italy
Nov 30, 2025Christmas market in Leipzig, Germany
May 29, 2024Eurasian otters
Nov 28, 2023Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, Canada
Sep 25, 2024Giant sequoias, Sequoia National Park, California, USA
Feb 20, 2026Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park, California, United States
Apr 29, 2024Fujian Tulou, China
Sep 11, 2024Eltz Castle, Germany
Apr 23, 2026Common chiffchaff, Germany
May 15, 2026A family of sperm whales, Indian Ocean
Apr 22, 2024Green sea turtle
Dec 3, 2025Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, United States
Apr 22, 2025Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States
Jun 9, 2025Old City of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia, Croatia
Sep 5, 2024Toronto, Canada
Jun 13, 2025Vila Franca Islet, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal
May 13, 2025Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile
Feb 8, 2026Corfu, Greece
Dec 8, 2023La Rocque Harbour, Island of Jersey
Aug 6, 2024Molokini crater, Maui, Hawaii, USA
May 16, 2026Smith Rock State Park, Oregon, United States
Sep 10, 2025Hay bales in North Yorkshire, England
May 26, 2024Methow Valley, North Cascades, Washington, USA
Nov 20, 2024Pont de pierre, Bordeaux, France