Ortisei trip planner

Urtijëi is a town of 4,637 inhabitants in South Tyrol in northern Italy. It occupies the Val Gardena within the Dolomites, a mountain chain that is part of the Alps.GeographyUrtijëi borders the following municipalities: Kastelruth, Villnöß, Lajen and Santa Cristina Gherdëina.HistoryThe Ladin-language name Urtijëi derives from the Latin word urtica and the suffix -etum with the meaning "place of nettles".From 1860 to 1914 Urtijëi experienced a relevant economical growth due to the opening of a major road connecting Val Gardena to the main railroad; as a result the local woodcarving industry flourished. International tourism developed through the discovery of the Dolomites first by English tourists, and subsequently visitors from other parts of Austria-Hungary as well as the German Empire. Currently, the town's economy is mostly based on winter skiing tourism, summer hiking tourism, and woodcarving.Coat of armsThe emblem shows Saint Ulrich, with the bishop's vestments and a gold cross in his right hand, mounted on a horse, with gold harness and a blue saddle pad, on three green mountains on a gold field. The emblem is decorated with an blue chief, with three small silver shields alternating with two golden bees; the bees symbolize the laboriousness of the inhabitants. The coat of arms was granted in 1907 and reappointed in 1970.