Established in 1984 on the initiative of the Mountain Community of Garfagnana, which takes care of its management, the Pania di Corfino Botanical Garden is located at 1370 meters a.s.l. on the homonymous mountain group in Piè Magnano and occupies an area of about one hectare. After a few years of activities aimed at structuring the space, the botanical garden became operational to the public from the summer of 1989 with the activation of a guided tour service and the construction of a plant with the function of guesthouse and laboratory. .
Inserted in the group of botanical gardens of the Province of Lucca, the garden aims to collect and preserve the flora of the Lucca Apennines.
Divided into specific sections, it reproduces the vegetation of some typical environments of the Apennines and the Apuan Alps. Depending on the sections you can find:
the flora of the moors, present in areas close to the Apennine ridge
the flora of the pastures
an arboretum which houses the flora of the woods
an artificial lake and the surrounding wetland that host the peat bog flora
One of its areas, called Hortus Sanitatis, is dedicated to the medicinal and edible plants of the Garfagnana tradition.
The garden also has a wood collection comprising longitudinal and transverse sections of the stem of various tree species present in the Garfagnana area. The collection is of considerable interest for educational purposes, as it allows you to touch the sections of the plants that you can meet inside and outside the Botanical Garden.
In 1997 a Phenological Garden was established, which is part of the Network of International Phenological Gardens, which studies the effects of climate on the development of plants cloned by the mother plant itself, according to the difference in latitude.
At the entrance of the garden there is a sub-fossil white fir dating back to 1200 AD, found nearby. In addition to carrying out an intense teaching activity, the Garden promotes studies and research, taking care of the organization of conferences dedicated to the knowledge of the plant heritage of Tuscany.
[source Wikipedia]
