The Alpi Marittime Park, in the province of Cuneo, is the result of the merger of the Argentera Natural Park with the Palanfrè Wood and Lakes Reserve. It is the largest in Piedmont and among the most important in Italy. The territory extends from an altitude of 820 meters up to 3297 meters of the southern peak of the Argentera.

The protected area is mainly located in Valle Gesso which has a characteristic fan configuration.

The park shares 35 kilometers of borders with the Mercantour National Park.

Both derive from the ancient hunting reserve of Vittorio Emanuele II, king of Italy, created in 1857.

The area is of great interest from an entomological point of view due to the presence of rare species, among which the butterfly Papilio alexanor stands out.

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THE FLORA

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High number of endemic plants, about thirty of these of considerable interest.

Some of the plants present in the valley have taken their name from Valdieri, such as the Melissa Grandiflora Valeriana, a medicinal plant, the Viola Valderia, the Potentilla Valderia, and the Saxifraga florulenta.

Behind the town of Valdieri, in a splendid limestone amphitheater, live populations of Phoenician Juniper, an evergreen shrub typical of the marine coasts.

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THE FAUNA

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In the park there are large ungulates such as chamois, ibex, roe deer and wild boar; heads of mustelids such as stone marten, marten, weasel and ermine; marmots, foxes, badgers and white hare. Among the birds we should mention the birds of prey, such as golden eagles, peregrine falcon, buzzard, kestrel, sparrow hawk and bearded vulture. Among the nocturnal animals we remember the tawny owl, the owl, and the owl. Other birds such as the wallcreeper, the black woodpecker, the coral chough and the raven.

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The Phoenician Juniper Special Nature Reserve is part of the Maritime Alps Natural Park and is located in Valle Gesso, behind the town of Valdieri, on the limestone cliffs of the Pissousa, Saben and San Giovanni peaks. The particular sedimentary cover of the Argentera massif and the singular microclimate of the area, determined by the southern exposure and by the verticality of the rocky walls that hinder the accumulation of snow, reproduce a stretch of Mediterranean coast in the Alps. In this environment, the Phoenician juniper, a typical shrub of Mediterranean vegetation, has found favorable conditions, which constituted its northernmost settlement here and in the adjacent Valle Stura di Demonte at higher altitudes. The Reserve is also home to other juniper species: Juniperus thurifera, communis and dwarf. In the avifauna we can observe examples of peregrine falcon, biancone, golden eagle, kestrel, mountain swallow, wallcreeper; the entomofauna presents numerous rare and endemic species.

For information: www.parcoalpimarittime.it