Gran Paradiso National Park covers an area of 70,000 hectares at altitudes from 800 m in the lower part of the valley to 4061 m above sea level (Gran Paradiso peak). In the Valle d'Aosta, the park has three visitor centers: in Congne, Valsavarenches and Rhemes-Notre-Dame, where you can experience the nature of the protected area at any time of the year.
 |
| Gran Paradiso National Park |
The park and its history
The history of the park is connected with the protection of the mountain goat. In 1856, King Vittorio Emmanuel II declared these mountains a royal hunting reserve and thus saved the mountain goat from complete extermination.
 |
| Gran Paradiso National Park |
The king created a special security service and ordered the construction of a network of roads to protect the fauna and organize excursions. In 1920, Vittorio Emmanuel III donated the reserve to the Italian state to make it a park. The Gran Paradiso National Park was founded in 1922.
Animal world of the park
The symbol of the park is the mountain goat, this rather trusting animal can often be found on pastures. Males, which can be distinguished by long, curved horns, live in small groups, while females with short horns stay with the kids.
 |
| Gran Paradiso National Park |
The chamois is widely distributed, although it avoids meeting people, so it is not easy to observe it. Another resident of the park is the marmot, a cute rodent that digs long galleries to hide from danger and prepare for hibernation. Birds include predators such as the golden eagle and many members of the passerine family.
Among the latest acquisitions of the park are the lamb, a large vulture hawk that disappeared from these places in 1912 and returned to the Alps as part of an international project, as well as a lynx, a graceful small predator.
Flora of the park
In the forests of the lower part of the valley there are larch, European spruce, European cedar and fir. Above the forest are lush alpine meadows blooming in spring, and behind them are rocks and glaciers.
 |
| Gran Paradiso National Park |
Among the rare species of the flora of the Gran Paradiso National Park, we mention the Pennsylvania cinquefoil, which grows on arid lands at an altitude of over 1300 m; astragalus foxtail, found only in Valle d'Aosta; winged thomas; northern linnaeus - a relic of the ice age, which found refuge in coniferous forests; lily-shaped paradisia - a white lily that gave its name to the Alpine botanical garden in Congne.