# Sëlva

Sëlva (Ladin: ; Italian: Selva di Val Gardena; German: Wolkenstein in Gröden) is a comune (municipality) and a village in the Val Gardena in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of the city of Bolzano. The Ladin and Italian place names derive from the Latin word silva ("wood").

## History
### Coat-of-arms

The arms are quarterly, the first and third quarters are per bend nebuly argent and gules; the second and third quarters are indented azure and Argent on a Base sable. The emblem represents the insignia of the Lords of Wolkenstein who built the local castle in 1291. The arms were adopted in 1968.

## Geography

As of 30 December 2010, it had a population of 2,637 and an area of 53.2 square kilometres (20.5 sq mi). Sëlva borders the following municipalities: Badia, Campitello di Fassa, Canazei, Corvara, San Martin de Tor, and Santa Cristina Gherdëina.
It is perhaps best known as one of the starting points of the Sella Ronda ski tour.

## Society
### Linguistic distribution

According to the 2024 census, 87.18% of the population speak Ladin, 8.20% Italian and 4.63% German as first language.

### Demographic evolution
## Climate

Sëlva is characterized by a typical Alpine climate. Summers are rather short and relatively wet. The average daily temperatures in summer lie between 18 and 21 °C, while at night temperatures usually drop to between 6 and 9 °C. Winters are typically cold, long and relatively dry. The average daily temperatures in winter lie between 0 and 2 °C, while at night temperatures usually drop to between -6 and -9 °C. The wettest month is August with 142 mm, while the driest is February with only 21 mm. This data was measured at the weather station in Plan at an altitude of 1,594 metres between 1991 and 2020.
Climate data for Sëlva (1991–2020) (location of station: Plan; altitude: 1,594 m) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11 (52) | 15 (59) | 17 (63) | 20 (68) | 25 (77) | 30 (86) | 29 (84) | 30 (86) | 26 (79) | 20 (68) | 17 (63) | 11 (52) | 30 (86) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0.3 (32.5) | 1.8 (35.2) | 5.3 (41.5) | 8.9 (48.0) | 13.7 (56.7) | 17.9 (64.2) | 20.2 (68.4) | 19.3 (66.7) | 14.6 (58.3) | 9.4 (48.9) | 4.0 (39.2) | 0.0 (32.0) | 9.6 (49.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −3.8 (25.2) | −2.9 (26.8) | 0.3 (32.5) | 3.9 (39.0) | 8.2 (46.8) | 12.2 (54.0) | 14.2 (57.6) | 13.8 (56.8) | 9.6 (49.3) | 5.2 (41.4) | 0.5 (32.9) | −3.3 (26.1) | 4.8 (40.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −7.6 (18.3) | −8.1 (17.4) | −4.8 (23.4) | −1.3 (29.7) | 2.8 (37.0) | 6.3 (43.3) | 8.2 (46.8) | 8.1 (46.6) | 4.6 (40.3) | 0.9 (33.6) | −3.0 (26.6) | −6.5 (20.3) | −0.1 (31.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −19 (−2) | −21 (−6) | −21 (−6) | −16 (3) | −7 (19) | −3 (27) | 0 (32) | −2 (28) | −6 (21) | −12 (10) | −15 (5) | −21 (−6) | −21 (−6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 24.0 (0.94) | 20.5 (0.81) | 38.2 (1.50) | 55.4 (2.18) | 96.4 (3.80) | 136.1 (5.36) | 131.8 (5.19) | 142.1 (5.59) | 88.0 (3.46) | 94.7 (3.73) | 76.3 (3.00) | 41.9 (1.65) | 945.4 (37.22) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 4.7 | 4.7 | 5.8 | 8.6 | 12.1 | 14.2 | 12.7 | 12.0 | 9.0 | 8.6 | 8.3 | 5.8 | 106.5 |
| Source: Landeswetterdienst Südtirol ||||||||||||||

## Gallery

* The farmhouse Piciulëi in Sëlva Gherdëina. Southern aspect.

## Notable people

* Ferdinando Glück (1901–1987) cross-country skier, competed in the men's 50 kilometre event at the 1928 Winter Olympics
* Hans Nogler (1919–2011 in Sëlva) alpine skier, competed in the 1948 Winter Olympics
* Carlo Senoner (born 1943) retired alpine skier, competed in slalom events at the 1960 and 1968 Winter Olympics
* Adolf Insam (born 1951) ice hockey player, competed in the men's tournament at the 1984 Winter Olympics
* Werner Perathoner (born 1967) former Alpine skier, specialized in downhill and super-G, competed at the 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympics
* Peter Runggaldier (born 1968) former Alpine skier, who specialized in downhill and super-G disciplines, competed at the 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympics, lives in Sëlva
* Karl Unterkircher (1970–2008) mountaineer, opened new mountain routes.