Pontives, a hamlet at the entrance to the Val Gardena, is a first point of contact with Ladin language and culture
Image gallery: Pontives
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At the eastern end of Laion is Pontives - not an official district of the municipality, but a hamlet with several businesses. Here, in a sunny and quiet location, there is a recycling centre, a camper stop parking area with power supply, a hotel with restaurant, a shop, and a heliport. This is particularly important, as it is from here that the helicopters of Aiut Alpin Dolomites, a non-profit association, take off for their missions in the mountains and on the ski slopes.
It works closely with the Val Gardena Mountain Rescue Service and maintains its operational headquarters in Pontives, complete with a hangar, various crew rooms, and a rooftop landing pad. The aforementioned shop, a family-run business, houses a workshop for nativity figures. Attached to this is the Nativity Scene Museum Original Heide with 40 masterpieces by renowned artists from Austria and Italy. Three further workshops and shops are located near the roundabout.
The small hamlet is located just three kilometres from Ortisei and is connected to the bus route to the Val Gardena, with services running every half hour. This is why it attracts many people who wish to explore the mountain world in both summer and winter. From Ortisei, the cable car to the Val Gardena-Alpe di Siusi Skiing Area and the Rasciesa Funicular begin their ascent. In winter, the latter provides access to the toboggan run on the Rasciesa, the local mountain of Laion.
A MTB route of about four kilometres, on the other hand, leads you directly from Pontives to the farms of San Pietro. Pontives forms a bridge to the Ladin linguistic and cultural area of the Val Gardena. Ladin, also spoken in the Val Badia, is one of the three official languages of South Tyrol.
