To know in depth the flora of a territory you have to spend a lot of time and energy to travel it far and wide and in the different seasons; the botanical gardens collect all the botanical wonders in a small space and allow you to get a lot of information in a short time, even too much information, which must be managed leaving ample space for colors, scents and emotions.

 

CASTEL SAVOIA (about 250 species)

 

 

 

In the municipality of Gressoney Saint-Jean, in the park of Castel Savoia, stands a small guard formed by a series of rocks that host a selection of mountain plants from all over the world, of spectacular ornamental value.

 

The castle completes the visit and pays for itself: built towards the end of the 1800s and designed by the architect Emilio Stramucci in a medieval style, described as "Lombard style of the 15th century", it was used by Queen Margherita of Savoia as a holiday home, and is now owned by the regional public administration. The queen, Catholic and reactionary, was a convinced nationalist and supported the imperialist policy of Francesco Crispi, also approving the violent repression of popular uprisings. The exterior is clad in local stone and the paints were made by the young painter and restorer Carlo Cussetti. Coffered ceilings, wood paneling and furnishings, all inspired by the Middle Ages, are the work of Michele Dellera from Turin.

 

 SAUSSUREA (about 800 species)

 

At the foot of Mont Blanc, near the intermediate station of the rotating panoramic Skyway cable car, stands the Saussurea alpine botanical garden, built at 2,173 meters above sea level and therefore the highest in Europe, today it is part of the Pavillon du Mont Fréty, as part of the Espace Mont Blanc, owes its name to the Genevan scientist Horace Bénédict de Saussure, who in 1786 was among the promoters of the first ascent to Mont Blanc. The botanical garden covers an area of 7000 square meters and hosts about 800 species, divided into two areas, one of species cultivated on artificial rocks divided according to their geographical origin, and the second formed by species of alpine pasture; you can reach it with the Skyway Monte Bianco cable car or on foot, a choice that we recommend, in about 2 hours, after a drop of 800 meters.

 

 PARADISIA (about 1000 species)

 

The botanical garden, located about 1700 m above sea level in Valnontey (Cogne), it takes its name from the wild white lily Paradisea liliastrum, and also hosts a herbarium of native spontaneous flora and its spermateca, a small library and a laboratory

 

In Paradisia mountain species are cultivated all over the world, and can interest both the scholar and the student as well as the tourist; inside some natural environments have been reconstructed such as the pseudo-steppe, the peat bog, the moraine, the calcareous debris, the alneto etc., where the plants are cultivated with great care, which can be observed following two differentiated and guided educational paths , or freely. There is also a collection of lichens and a butterfly garden.

 

 CHANOUSIA (about 1600 species)

 

The garden is located in the French territory at the Piccolo San Bernardo hill, which connects Fracia and Italy, at 2,170 meters above sea level. Built in 1897 by the abbot Pierre Chanoux, rector of the Hospice of the Mauritian Order located nearby, the garden at its maximum splendor hosted more than 4,000 alpine species from around the world. After a long period of abandonment, in the mid-1970s, thanks to a Aosta Valley association, the Société de la Flore Valdôtaine, of the Société d'Histoire Naturelle de la Savoie and several botanists, was finally rebuilt in its current version: the 1600 species in its interior are cultivated in artificial micro-environments - rock, moraines, peat bogs, stream edges, etc. - and are grouped according to geographical origin.

 

PLANNING

 

The visit to each garden can take place entirely during the day, or, with two nights at the hotel, you can visit them all together in three days, with an itinerary enriched by the Savoia Castle and itinerant lessons on fauna and flora. At the end of each visit, selected photographic material is released.

 

Arrival in Aosta with your own vehicle;

in front of the train station take the bus to Cogne (timetable here);

day in Cogne and surroundings;

lunch in a partner restaurant, based on typical dishes and local products;

dinner and overnight at the hotel ...

visit of the botanical garden and climb to the refuge;

lunch at the shelter or packed;

return to Cogne and return to Aosta.

 

FEES

teacher: up to 6 persons 180 Euro / day, after this 20 Euro / person per day;

meals: around 25 Euros, drinks included;

overnight stays: around 60 Euro / person / night.

 

ACCESSIBILITY AND SERVICES

people in wheelchairs: YES

blinds: yes

animals: YES, on a leash

toilets: YES, free

photographs: YES

 

LESSONS ALSO TAKE PLACE IN THE RAIN

 

TRANSPORTS

http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom/Treni-Regionali/Valle-d%27Aosta

https://www.flixbus.it/orari-fermate-autobus/aosta

https://www.svap.it/it/31/linee-e-orari/

https://www.autobus.it/