This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)

The Valcava Alpine Garden is a botanical facility located in the upper Val S. Giacomo; it covers an area of some 17 acres and reaches the altitude of 6.233 feet.

The garden was born in 1920, thanks to the “Association of officinal plants” in Milan, with the aim of collecting the main plants of the alpine flora for in-depth study and preserving any endangered species; The garden was created also to experiment with forage herbs suitable for meager pastures, and plant exotic essences suitable for re-forestation.
Nonetheless, all this became a reality only in 2003, thus blending together science, research, teaching, and tourism.

The garden includes some woodland, pastures, and uncultivated areas, collecting and indigenous plant species, thoroughly recorded and documented in their natural habitat.

Inside the garden, 10 natural environments have been reconstructed, along with 4 small stretches of medicinal plants (Génépi-Artemisia, mountain arnica, and edelweiss) and 2 rare and endangered plant areas with potatoes, such as those of Starleggia.

A chestnut wood fence protects the garden from the pasturing cattle still present in the area.
The best time to visit this garden is from May (with the most beautiful blooms) to September, (when the mountain flora blooms with the very last flowers of the year).

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)