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Established in 1934, called “Duxia Garden” and dedicated to Igino Ambrosini and Giuseppe Rossi, the Alpinia Botanical Garden represents one of the first examples of an alpine botanical garden in Italy.

Located in the hamlet of Alpino, between the municipalities of Stresa and Gignese, this garden offers a splendid panorama that has made it a very popular tourist destination, since the mid-XIX century. Several European aristocrats and artists have also visited it, looking for the right inspiration for their works of art.
The garden covers about 10 acres of the top of a promontory overlooking the Borromean Gulf, in an area of particular naturalistic interest, at 2.624 ft above sea level. There are many valuable botanical species from the alpine and subalpine planes, from the Caucasus, from China and from Japan as well.

In addition to the arboreal and shrub species, some of them extremely rare, visitors can admire the wondrous aquatic flora in the wet area of the garden.
In addition, near the entrance, there’s a source of low mineral content water, dedicated to the founder of Pallanza’s Hydrobiological Institute.

The particular microclimate guarantees cooler temperatures in the summer months, with less humidity than the surrounding areas. During the winter months, frequent snowfalls help the survival of the species growing on the ground.

THE FLORA

The local flora includes Abies nordmanniana, Acer pseudoplatanus, species of the Artemisia genus, Arundo donax, Betula pubescens, Frangula alnus and Fraxinus excelsior.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)