Village in Val Gardena at Christmas, Dolomites, Italy

© Ingus Kruklitis/Getty Image

Val Gardena, South Tyrol, Dolomites, Italy

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.