Botanical Garden Saussurea

SAUSSUREA, the highest garden in Europe, an altitude of 2.175 m, in Courmayeur and on the slopes of the Mont Blanc. The Garden takes its name from a very rare plant which grows in the rocky pastures: the Saussurea alpina , dedicated to Horace Bénédict de Saussure, promoter of the first ascent in 1786 to the Mont Blanc.
A tour of these alpine rock gardens is like a virtual journey across the Alps and other mountainous chains of the world. Every plant is identified with a label: yellow for the Italian species, red for medicinal species, a skull for poisonous or toxic plants, white exotic plans. Entrance of the garden there are species from the Valle d’Aosta: the Edelweiss, the Martagon Lily and the Trionfetti Perennial Cornflower are an example. The Western Alps rock gardens, is present with Haller’s Anemone, and then exotic flora where you will find plants from North America, the Iberic peninsula, Eurasia and the Austral Hemisphere. Two areas are dedicated to officinal plants. The natural environments are represented from the Alpine pasture which Gramineae and Cyperaceae, to wetlands and maceration zones, then to the Alder Grove, a vegetable association originating from the subalpine plain and characterized by the green Alder, and finally the rododendro-vaccinium, whose typical species include Rhododendrons and Blueberries. Flourishing contacts with facilities around the world for cultural exchange and seeds.

Activites

  • Hiking

    Many trails allow the observer to admire all the Garden’s environments. You will also find a Chalet with panels explaining the flora and fauna of the Valle d’Aosta and of Mont Blanc, with particular emphasis on environments which are typical of mountainous areas. All trails within the site are exclusively walking trails. It is strictly forbidden to wander from the pedestrian areas and it is recommended to hold children by the hand.

Discover the site

The Saussurea Alpine Botanical Garden is open from late June/early July until end of September, after which it rests under a cover of about 3 to 4 meters of snow. The period of maximum blossoming splendour is from end of July until mid-August. Opening hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in July and September, and from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in August. An entrance fee is required. You can enjoy the beauty of the cultivated species and contribute to their preservation by visiting the site in small groups, but large groups can also be accommodated.

How to get there

The Saussurea Alpine Garden is located in Courmayeur, in the hamlet of Pavillon du Mont Fréty, at the first stop of the Mont Blanc cableways. The site can therefore be reached with the Mont Blanc cableway. Trained hikers can also reach the garden on foot, using the trail marked 20 which is about 2.5 km long. The trail starts at La Palud, a short distance above the departure of the Mont Blanc cableways, and takes you to the hamlet of Pavillon in 2 hours of enjoyable hiking, first through woods and then across meadows.

Accessibility codification of sites

VIVA has chosen to supply everyone – youngsters, adults, the elderly and the disabled – with all the sites’ information so as to allow the visitor to choose a destination in an autonomous way.
An “Accessibility Codification”has thus been defined.<%

cartina Botanical Garden Saussurea

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Activities

I Talweg della Val Ferret

 I Talweg della Val Ferret

Cicloescursione con mountain bike a pedalata assistita

Objective: park

Objective: park
How can a passion for photography and nature be merged? By becoming news photographers for a day.

VIVA recommends the premises belonging to the network “Saveurs du Val d’Aoste

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