The Alpine Garden Chanousia is located near the Little St Bernard Pass, at an altitude of approximately 2,170 meters (7,120 feet), just beyond the Italian-French border, in a landscape dominated by Mont Blanc. It covers an area of about 10,000 square meters on carbonaceous schist terrain and is characterized by a harsh climate: snow persists until July, strong winds are frequent, and the average annual temperature is around +1°C. These conditions limit the growing season to just 2–3 months.
The natural vegetation consists of alpine meadows, with the tree line on the Italian side lying at about 1,850 meters. As a result, the selection of cultivated plants is restricted to alpine and snowbed species.
During the garden’s reconstruction, efforts were made to recover the original species, and over one hundred of them were identified. Paths and flower beds were restored, and new ones were later created. Most of the new species were introduced through wild collection, while avoiding excessive harvesting to protect the environment.
Work also focused on creating differentiated environments (such as calcareous and siliceous rockeries, wet areas, etc.) to place the species according to their specific ecological requirements.
The tradition of seed exchange (Index Seminum) with other alpine gardens around the world has been revived. However, due to the short growing season, seeds are preferably sown at lower elevations, or living plants collected in the wild are transplanted directly.
In summary, Chanousia is a unique alpine garden that thrives under extreme conditions and is committed to the conservation, study, and dissemination of alpine and snowbed flora, using environmentally respectful and biodiversity-friendly methods.
The Chanousia Botanical Garden was officially founded in July 1897 by Abbot Pierre Chanoux, rector of the Hospice of the Little St Bernard Pass.
Established on land belonging to the Municipality of La Thuile, the garden was created to cultivate and preserve rare and threatened alpine species, so they could be known and respected.
After Chanoux's death in 1909, the garden was entrusted to Professor Lino Vaccari, who led it to its greatest period of splendor.
By the 1940s, it hosted over 2,500 alpine species from around the world. Thanks to support from public and private institutions, and the patronage of Dr. Marco De Marchi, new buildings were constructed, including a laboratory and a small museum.
In 1943, during World War II, the garden was abandoned, its buildings destroyed, and all scientific materials lost.
After the war, the garden fell under French sovereignty, but ownership remained Italian (held by the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus and the Municipality of La Thuile). This situation stalled reconstruction efforts for nearly 30 years.
In 1976, restoration work began thanks to cooperation between Italian and French institutions.
In 1978, an international scientific board was established to oversee the garden’s management. Surviving paths, flowerbeds, and about 100 plant species were recovered. In 1988, the former laboratory was also rebuilt and now serves as a museum and guesthouse for researchers.
Today, the garden hosts around 1,200 species, and the work continues.
Chanousia is now a living center of research, conservation, and education on alpine flora—thanks also to the support of volunteers and young botanists from across Europe.
