A longstanding concern in Virtual Reality research has been how closely Virtual Reality can mimic real-life experiences. Recently, there has been a growing focus on exploring potential emotional differences or similarities between the same experience in reality and across various categories of virtuality. While most studies explored this relationship in highly arousing environments (e.g., fear-inducing environments), this study focuses on a low-arousal environment: a natural landscape in Italy, explored through two categories of virtuality. Specifically, this exploratory study examined the impact of VR nature-based simulations with different levels of realism on emotions and affect. Moreover, since nature is not an emotionally neutral stimulus, but it can involve aesthetic appreciation and evaluation, we included an assessment of aesthetic emotions. In a controlled laboratory experiment, 58 participants experienced either an immersive VR environment with photogrammetric elements or an immersive 360° video environment through head-mounted displays. Their affective (PANAS) and emotional (single items and AESTHEMOS) responses were measured post-exposure. Bayesian Factor analyses compared repeated measurements under the hypothesis of similarity. Results indicated a moderate effect for both conditions regarding affect and individual aesthetic emotions, supporting the hypothesis of similarity. The study contributes to existing literature by exploring discrete and aesthetic emotions at two levels of realism, particularly within the context of virtual nature.