Thanks to the presence of 500 plant species in the 14 reconstructed environments, the entire territory of the Protected Areas of the Alpes Maritimes is retraced, a park with an immense botanical heritage.

The “Valderia” Alpine botanical garden is located in Terme di Valdieri, in the upper Gesso Valley, the heart of the Alpes Maritimes, and owes its name to the Viola valderia, an endemic species first identified in 1780 in this very area, on the riverbank, by the Piedmontese botanist Carlo Allioni.
Due to its coolness and the abundance of wild vegetation, the place was equipped with paths and walkways in the 19th century. This is how the “Giardino degli Inglesi” (English Garden) was created, a destination for walks by guests of the nearby spa resort.

Abandoned for many decades, the area was restored in 1990 on the initiative of the Maritime Alps Natural Park, which designated it to house the new botanical garden, where the beautiful violet is not the only gem in this paradise of scents and colours.

In addition to the guided tour, visitors can explore the Nature Trail on their own, a pleasant walk that winds through the woods to discover the plants growing higher up, with a change in altitude of about 60 m.