The construction of the Oropa Botanical Garden (first envisaged in the 1930s by Prof. Camillo Sormano in the Rivista Biellese magazine) was promoted by the Biella Garden Club Association in early 1990. The location chosen for this project was the basin where the Marian Shrine of Oropa is located, at an altitude of 1,200 metres, near the cable car used by tourists and pilgrims visiting the Shrine and by numerous trekkers attracted by the many hiking opportunities in the area.

During the winter season, the upper valley becomes an extraordinary playground for freeriding.

The scientific design of the Garden was overseen by Dr Rosa Camoletto Pasin, then Head of the Botany Section of the Natural Science Museum of Turin.

The Botanical Garden, declared an Area of Botanical Interest under Regional Law 22/1983, is owned by the autonomous lay religious organisation Santuario di Oropa, which has entrusted its management to the WWF Oasis and Protected Areas of Piedmont office in Biella (which has been responsible for it since 1998).

Mission

The Oropa Botanical Garden aims to inspire and enrich people’s lives through contact with plants and nature, recognising their regenerative value.

Vision

The Oropa Botanical Garden encourages, stimulates and educates adults and children alike with its displays of plants and environments, involving researchers, educators and teachers in its awareness-raising activities. It applies ecological principles in land management, promotes sustainable practices and the conservation of biodiversity, particularly in mountain environments.