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In the centre of Catania, on the main Via Etnea, there’s Villa Bellini, also known as “Villa Biscari del Labirinto”.

The oldest nucleus dates back to the XVIII century, as the private garden of a small residence of the Prince Ignazio Paternò-Castello di Biscari. The garden was also regarded as a “Labyrinth” due to the intertwining corridors and galleries, delimited by walls, which have now disappeared.

In 1854, it was purchased by the municipality of Catania, which asked the architect Landolina to transform it into a public park – he was also authorized to purchase the surrounding land to expand its surface. In 1883, the new park was eventually opened and made available to the public.

In 1932 the monumental entrance on via Etnea was built but, in the second half of the 1970s and deterioration inevitably began, due to the downsizing of the allocated maintenance funds.
After a long restoration and adaptation work, in 2010 it was reopened to the public.
The villa is dedicated to Vincenzo Bellini, the illustrious Italian composer from Catania.

THE GARDEN

In the garden, there are 106 species belonging to 83 genera and 54 families, spread over 17 acres, belonging to a mainly subtropical and exotic flora, well-adapted to the local climate.

At the main entrance, there are two majestic specimens of Ficus microcarpa, then a staircase flanked by tufts of Cycas revoluta, leading to a square; in the centre of the latter, there is a fountain. The “botanical clock”, whose dial is made up of evergreen plants, never fails to amaze the visitors. The avenues of the garden are dedicated to the most important illustrious people from Italy and Catania, also represented by several busts placed on columns.

There are many palms, including Erythea armata, Livistona chinensis, and Washintonia filifera; not to mention the beautiful Araucaria spp., Ficus spp., and several specimens of Styphnolobium japonicum (formerly known as Sophora japonica).

Along the perimeter of the garden, there are sports facilities, also for the disabled.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)