Introduction
Academic botanical Gardens and alpines botanical Gardens
The botanical Garden “Pietro Pellegrini” was established at the end of the sixties of last century
in Pian della Fioba, inside of what later will be the protected area of the Regional Park of the Apuan Alps.
It belongs to the category of alpines botanical Gardens, and it is the last one founded in the large and old family of botanical Gardens that has its roots in the Italy of the 16th century.
The botanical Gardens are founded and developed in the rich scientific and cultural atmosphere of the Renaissance Italy. The interest for the observation of nature that in that period was in common between men of science and those of art represents one of the reasons that led to the creation of the botanical Garden, understood as an academic institution designed for the cultivation and conservation of plants for educational purpose and scientific research.
The botanical Garden of the University of Pisa was born in 1544 for the intuition of Luca Ghini, a famous doctor and botanist from Imola, thanks to funding provided by the grand duke of Tuscany, Cosimo I de' Medici, that the previous year called him to teach botany in the Tuscany city. It is the oldest academic botanical Garden of the world, even though the localization chosen by Ghini was different from the current one.
The impact on the scientific community at the time was such that quickly other Gardens were formed at the most prestigious Italian and European universities.
The extraordinary foresight of Ghini is nowadays proved by the over 1700 botanical Gardens in operation in the world.
The Renaissance botanical Gardens derive characters from the other gardens of the time, especially those of the horti sanitatis of medieval convents, where the herbalist friar educated his pupils to the knowledge of the “I Semplici” and drew elements for his experimentations. The plant of the botanical Garden of Padua, built a little later than the Pisan one and still perfectly preserved, shows clearly the features of cloistered gardens. Founded in 1545 on a land of Benedictine Monks, it is the still existing oldest academic botanical Garden of the world. It was created for the cultivation of medicinal herbs, which at the time were the vast majority of the “I Semplici”, that is of those medicament that come directly from nature. For this reason, the first botanical Gardens were called Gardens of the Semplici, that is Horti simplicium. At the time there was great uncertainty about the identification of plants used in therapy by famous doctors of ancient times and errors and also frauds were frequent, with a serious damage to the public health. The creation of a medicinal garden would have allowed students an easier recognition of real medicinal plants from sophistications. The Garden was continuously enriched with plants that come from different parts of the world and especially from countries where the Republic of Venice had properties, or trade; for this reason, Padua had a prominent role in the introduction and in the study of many exotic species.
There are no documents that certify the paternity of the project of this Garden, but it is documented the participation in the construction of Bergamo architect Andrea Moroni, to demonstrate the fact that from the beginning and in the full respect of the Renaissance unitary culture, scientists, artists and architects have collaborated to the design and construction of these particular parts of the city.
To the academic botanical Gardens, founded within the city walls, have been subsequently joined by the alpine botanical Gardens or Orchards, that were founded away from cities, in environments characterised by great naturalness. Unlike the academic botanical Gardens, they are relatively recent institution. The oldest ones date back to the second half of 1800, when the botanist Henry Correvon was the promoter for the creation of alpines botanical gardens in Switzerland, not only with scientific reasons, but also with the aim of doing something useful to the protection of the alpine flora and attract interest of people to its beauties. This last reason accompanies the creation of alpines Gardens and makes them perfectly included in the contemporary culture.
The oldest Italian alpine garden is the so-called “Chanousia”, that was born at the end of 1800 at Passo del Piccolo S. Bernardo, at the time in the Italian territory, at an elevation of 2200 meters above sea level. Its foundation dates back to 1897, when the collection of plants of the abbot Pierre Chanoux, rector of the Hospice of the Order of Saint Maurice was transformed into an alpine botanical Garden for the initiative of the abbot himself, and later it would be named “Chanousia” to honor the memory of the founder. From its origins, Chanousia was a real botanical Garden, equipped with a research laboratory. Initially under the guidance of Chanoux himself and later under the direction of Lino Vaccari and the support of C.A.I., it flourished doing important researches, especially on ecology of alpine plants, and operating a serious popular science. After years of neglect, the reconstruction work started in the seventies has led to the current total rearrangement.
The second alpine botanical Garden in Italy was established in 1904 on Etna and was called “Gussonea” in honor of the botanist G. Gussone. Later it was destroyed by a volcanic eruption and only in 1979 was reconstructed with the name of “New Gussonea”.
In 1938, it was founded the “Viote Alpine Botanical Garden on Mount Bondone” by the then “Tridentine Venice Museum of Natural History” that among Italians alpine botanical Garden can be considered the existing oldest one because is the only one that has done a continuous activity from its foundation until now. In the post-war period in the end many alpines Gardens and Orchards were founded all over Italy by companies, institutions and individuals until reaching the present number, that amounts to 20 unities spread across Alps and the Apennines. Among the different sites present in Italy we remember in particular those founded in the provinces of Lucca and Massa Carrara: the botanical Garden of the Apuan Alps “Pietro Pellegrini” in the municipality of Massa of 1966, the botanical Garden “Pania di Corfino” of the 1984, the Giardino Montano dell’Orecchiella of the 1990 in the municipality of Villa Collemandina and the botanical Garden “Frignoli” in the municipality of Fivizzano of the 1990.
The botanical Garden “Pietro Pellegrini” in the park of the Apuan Alps
The present publication has the aim of describing the characteristics of the botanical Garden “Pietro Pellegrini” in the environment of the Apuan Alps.
It starts remembering the many scholars that since ancient times have been attracted by the natural peculiarities of Apuan Alps to the exploration of these mountains and then there is the description of their geographical, climatic and vegetation characteristics.
The botanical Garden “Pietro Pellegrini” is remembered in particular for the short history as well as the areas, the collections and the environments that characterize it: the arboretum, the chestnut grove, the vaccinium grove, the oak forest-carpineto and more. The description of the Garden concludes with the recent restoration work and enhancement that the Regional Park of the Apuan Alps has realised using funding provided by Tuscany region and European Union.
In the second part of the publication are explained contents and peculiarities of the botanical Garden in educational form, that we have in the poster designing placed along the route that crosses it, connecting the access with the visitor Centre. This second part meant to be a kind of guide to accompany and explore what can be seen traveling a pedestrian walkway that is more than 150 meters long that with information panels positioned at regular intervals realises a kind of outdoor educational trail immersed in the natural environment of the botanical Garden. With summaries of texts and prevalence of images are described subjects concerning climate, geology, karst, vegetable landscape of the Apuan Alps, and the flowers, shrubs and trees, to finish with more specific themes but not less important for the environment of the Garden and those mountains like mushrooms, birds and the cultivation of the chestnut tree.
In the third and last part of the publication are reported some cards that describe the most significant flowers and plants of the botanical Garden “Pietro Pellegrini”. The vegetables are represented with line drawing; beside, a small outline of the Italian peninsula report the distribution area. It is the same cards that inside the Garden accompany the real examples.The botanical Garden “Pietro Pellegrini” was established at the end of the sixties of last century
in Pian della Fioba, inside of what later will be the protected area of the Regional Park of the Apuan Alps.
It belongs to the category of alpines botanical Gardens, and it is the last one founded in the large and old family of botanical Gardens that has its roots in the Italy of the 16th century.
The botanical Gardens are founded and developed in the rich scientific and cultural atmosphere of the Renaissance Italy. The interest for the observation of nature that in that period was in common between men of science and those of art represents one of the reasons that led to the creation of the botanical Garden, understood as an academic institution designed for the cultivation and conservation of plants for educational purpose and scientific research.
The botanical Garden of the University of Pisa was born in 1544 for the intuition of Luca Ghini, a famous doctor and botanist from Imola, thanks to funding provided by the grand duke of Tuscany, Cosimo I de' Medici, that the previous year called him to teach botany in the Tuscany city. It is the oldest academic botanical Garden of the world, even though the localization chosen by Ghini was different from the current one.
The impact on the scientific community at the time was such that quickly other Gardens were formed at the most prestigious Italian and European universities.
The extraordinary foresight of Ghini is nowadays proved by the over 1700 botanical Gardens in operation in the world.
The Renaissance botanical Gardens derive characters from the other gardens of the time, especially those of the horti sanitatis of medieval convents, where the herbalist friar educated his pupils to the knowledge of the “I Semplici” and drew elements for his experimentations. The plant of the botanical Garden of Padua, built a little later than the Pisan one and still perfectly preserved, shows clearly the features of cloistered gardens. Founded in 1545 on a land of Benedictine Monks, it is the still existing oldest academic botanical Garden of the world. It was created for the cultivation of medicinal herbs, which at the time were the vast majority of the “I Semplici”, that is of those medicament that come directly from nature. For this reason, the first botanical Gardens were called Gardens of the Semplici, that is Horti simplicium. At the time there was great uncertainty about the identification of plants used in therapy by famous doctors of ancient times and errors and also frauds were frequent, with a serious damage to the public health. The creation of a medicinal garden would have allowed students an easier recognition of real medicinal plants from sophistications. The Garden was continuously enriched with plants that come from different parts of the world and especially from countries where the Republic of Venice had properties, or trade; for this reason, Padua had a prominent role in the introduction and in the study of many exotic species.
There are no documents that certify the paternity of the project of this Garden, but it is documented the participation in the construction of Bergamo architect Andrea Moroni, to demonstrate the fact that from the beginning and in the full respect of the Renaissance unitary culture, scientists, artists and architects have collaborated to the design and construction of these particular parts of the city.
To the academic botanical Gardens, founded within the city walls, have been subsequently joined by the alpine botanical Gardens or Orchards, that were founded away from cities, in environments characterised by great naturalness. Unlike the academic botanical Gardens, they are relatively recent institution. The oldest ones date back to the second half of 1800, when the botanist Henry Correvon was the promoter for the creation of alpines botanical gardens in Switzerland, not only with scientific reasons, but also with the aim of doing something useful to the protection of the alpine flora and attract interest of people to its beauties. This last reason accompanies the creation of alpines Gardens and makes them perfectly included in the contemporary culture.
The oldest Italian alpine garden is the so-called “Chanousia”, that was born at the end of 1800 at Passo del Piccolo S. Bernardo, at the time in the Italian territory, at an elevation of 2200 meters above sea level. Its foundation dates back to 1897, when the collection of plants of the abbot Pierre Chanoux, rector of the Hospice of the Order of Saint Maurice was transformed into an alpine botanical Garden for the initiative of the abbot himself, and later it would be named “Chanousia” to honor the memory of the founder. From its origins, Chanousia was a real botanical Garden, equipped with a research laboratory. Initially under the guidance of Chanoux himself and later under the direction of Lino Vaccari and the support of C.A.I., it flourished doing important researches, especially on ecology of alpine plants, and operating a serious popular science. After years of neglect, the reconstruction work started in the seventies has led to the current total rearrangement.
The second alpine botanical Garden in Italy was established in 1904 on Etna and was called “Gussonea” in honor of the botanist G. Gussone. Later it was destroyed by a volcanic eruption and only in 1979 was reconstructed with the name of “New Gussonea”.
In 1938, it was founded the “Viote Alpine Botanical Garden on Mount Bondone” by the then “Tridentine Venice Museum of Natural History” that among Italians alpine botanical Garden can be considered the existing oldest one because is the only one that has done a continuous activity from its foundation until now. In the post-war period in the end many alpines Gardens and Orchards were founded all over Italy by companies, institutions and individuals until reaching the present number, that amounts to 20 unities spread across Alps and the Apennines. Among the different sites present in Italy we remember in particular those founded in the provinces of Lucca and Massa Carrara: the botanical Garden of the Apuan Alps “Pietro Pellegrini” in the municipality of Massa of 1966, the botanical Garden “Pania di Corfino” of the 1984, the Giardino Montano dell’Orecchiella of the 1990 in the municipality of Villa Collemandina and the botanical Garden “Frignoli” in the municipality of Fivizzano of the 1990.
The botanical Garden “Pietro Pellegrini” in the park of the Apuan Alps
The present publication has the aim of describing the characteristics of the botanical Garden “Pietro Pellegrini” in the environment of the Apuan Alps.
It starts remembering the many scholars that since ancient times have been attracted by the natural peculiarities of Apuan Alps to the exploration of these mountains and then there is the description of their geographical, climatic and vegetation characteristics.
The botanical Garden “Pietro Pellegrini” is remembered in particular for the short history as well as the areas, the collections and the environments that characterize it: the arboretum, the chestnut grove, the vaccinium grove, the oak forest-carpineto and more. The description of the Garden concludes with the recent restoration work and enhancement that the Regional Park of the Apuan Alps has realised using funding provided by Tuscany region and European Union.
In the second part of the publication are explained contents and peculiarities of the botanical Garden in educational form, that we have in the poster designing placed along the route that crosses it, connecting the access with the visitor Centre. This second part meant to be a kind of guide to accompany and explore what can be seen traveling a pedestrian walkway that is more than 150 meters long that with information panels positioned at regular intervals realises a kind of outdoor educational trail immersed in the natural environment of the botanical Garden. With summaries of texts and prevalence of images are described subjects concerning climate, geology, karst, vegetable landscape of the Apuan Alps, and the flowers, shrubs and trees, to finish with more specific themes but not less important for the environment of the Garden and those mountains like mushrooms, birds and the cultivation of the chestnut tree.
In the third and last part of the publication are reported some cards that describe the most significant flowers and plants of the botanical Garden “Pietro Pellegrini”. The vegetables are represented with line drawing; beside, a small outline of the Italian peninsula report the distribution area. It is the same cards that inside the Garden accompany the real examples.
1) Rappresentazione dell'Orto del Giardino dei Semplici nel XVIII sec. (incisione da M. Tilli, Catalogus Plantarum Orti Pisani, 1723)
2) Planimetria dell'Orto botanico di Padova, 1545
3) L'Orto botanico alpino 'Chanousia' in una immagine d'epoca
4) L'abate Pierre Chanoux nel suo studio
