Il Giardino Botanico di Pietra Corva

Italy, Italy

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Il Giardino Botanico di Pietra Corva, also known as Giardino Botanico Alpino di Pietra Corva or Giardino Alpino di Pietra Corva, is a botanical garden located in the municipality of Romagnese in Oltrepò Pavese, Province of Pavia, Lombardy, Italy, at 950 meters elevation on the side of Monte Pietra di Corvo mountain.

Founded in 1967 by naturalist Antonio Ridella from Romagnese, a botany enthusiast who wanted to create a garden showcasing not only typical Apennine flora but also Alpine flora and mountain plants from distant ranges like the Andes and Pyrenees, the garden opened in 1967 and covers about 3 hectares (7.4 acres). The garden contains over 1,200 to 1,300 plant taxa from mountain ranges around the world, including the Alps, Andes, Himalaya, Pyrenees, and North America, with plants organized not by systematic criteria but collected to evoke the natural landscapes and habitats where they grow.

Notable species include Fritillaria tenella (the garden's symbol), Primula rosea, Sarracenia purpurea, and local mountain flora from the Alps and Apennines. The garden is situated in a well-preserved forest within the Sassi Neri-Pietra Corva Site of Community Interest (SIC), recognized by the European Union in 2019, and features diverse habitats including wetlands, rocky landscapes, open spaces, and coniferous and deciduous forests.