Craftsmanship in Ladinia

It was not until the late 18th Century that craftsmanship started to become economically important for the Ladin population. Each valley developed its own specific products: Ampezzo specialised in silver filigree jewellery and souvenirs for the flourishing tourist trade. In Gröden/Val Gardena along with religious wood sculptures a big toy industry developed linking local handicrafts to a world market. Itinerant painters from the Fassa Valley moved to Tyrol and Southern Bavaria on a yearly basis, where they decorated house facades, traditional wooden dining rooms (Stuben) and furniture with their multicoloured artwork. Gadertal/Val Badia exported distinctive decorated chests to the Tyrolean region.

Between the two World Wars, the last handicraft products suffered from bad economic conditions and increasing competition. Today only the wooden sculptures of Gröden/Val Gardena remind us of the once great economic importance of handicrafts in the Ladin valleys.