Efisio Noussan
Thirty years at the head of the Société de la Flore valdôtaine
The Aosta Valley’s regional natural science museum bears the name of Efisio Noussan. This businessman loved the nature, history and mountains of his region. Above all, he revived the Société de la Flore valdôtaine, of which he was president for thirty years.
A collector from Châtillon
Efisio Noussan was born in Châtillon in 1921. He collected books, photographs and old prints on the history of the Aosta Valley and its people. He was also a member of the British Alpine Club. This gave him contacts and a knowledge of the mountains that reached beyond the valley.
President of the Société de la Flore
In 1971 Noussan was elected president of the Société de la Flore valdôtaine. He would lead it for three decades. Under his presidency, the society returned to regular activity in several fields.
Publications
The society started publishing again. First came a scientific Bulletin, then the Revue valdôtaine d’histoire naturelle.
The Chanousia garden
The Chanousia botanical garden, at the Little St Bernard Pass, had been created by the abbé Pierre Chanoux. It had been abandoned since the Second World War. Noussan worked to restore it.
A museum in Aosta, then in Saint-Pierre
The society’s collections were brought together to form a museum. It was first housed in Aosta, then in the castle of Saint-Pierre.
The regional museum
In 1985, thanks to many donations, the museum grew in scale. It became the regional natural science museum. After Noussan’s death, it was named after him.
His legacy
Thanks to him, the nature and history of the Aosta Valley are better known and better protected. The museum that bears his name, the Chanousia garden and the society’s publications preserve the record of what he started or revived.
