Rezia Alpine Botanic Garden, covering a surface area of 14,410 square meters, is situated in the north of Bormio, loc. Rovinaccia, the stream Campello, in an area put at disposal by the municipal administration.
Two are the reasons leading to its creation in the 1980s. First of all, it was necessary to provide Stelvio National Park with a structure giving the opportunity to preserve its floristic heritage; secondly, it was necessary to put at the disposal of the public a as much as possible complete collection of the vegetation characterizing not only Ortles-Cevedale mountain group, where the Park is situated, but also the whole alpine chain.
It belongs to the Network of the Botanic Gardens of
Regione Lombardia and actively takes part in the International Service for the seed exchange. It annually publishes the
Index Seminum, that is the list of the species gathered in the Garden and in the local natural area, domestic and exotic, put at disposal for the mutual exchange with Botanic Gardens, Universities, Research and Scientific Institutes all over the world.
Dedicated to the famous botanist Giovanni Fornaciari, it is divided into four sections.
- Section I
The Park Flora
The Garden houses over 1,200 species of the Park territory. This section represents a macroscopic reference to the real landscape perceived by hikers in the Park: as a matter of fact, it is possible to find out the environments where the species cultivated in the Garden spontaneously grow.
- Section II
Phytogeographical Collections
It houses several characteristic species of the European and extra-European mountain areas.
- Section III
Systematic Collections
It presents the collections in systematic order.
- Section IV
Arboretum
Here Larch, Swiss Pine, Scots Pine, Spruce Fir, Silver Fir, Yew, Juniper, and several exotic species frequently cultivated in private gardens or used for reforestation activities. Since they are slowly-growing plants, this section is still under construction.