Landscape from the main entrance

The Giardino Bellini (also known as Villa Bellini; English translation: "Bellini Garden") is the oldest[1] urban park of Catania.

It occupies 70.942 m².[2]

History

Main stairs during the Festival of Saint Agatha, 1993

Before the construction of a public garden, the area was occupied by the garden maze or labyrinth owned by the Ignazio Paternò Castello, prince of Biscari.[3][4] In 1854, the Comune di Catania bought the area of the maze, and in 1864 started to adapt the area into a public garden.[3] Starting from 1875, the municipality acquired several further areas surrounding the maze, and two years later the work to unify these areas was undertaken.[3]

A guide from 1867 reports the gardens housed swan and geese, deer and cows, an aviary, and an enclosure of monkeys. The park has a white marble bust depicting Vincenzo Bellini and completed by Tito Angiolini.[5]

The Giardino Bellini was finally inaugurated in 1883.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ "«Lavori al palo, vandalismo istituzionale» Non c'è pace per villa Bellini" (in Italian). Corriere del Mezzogiorno. 25 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Il Giardino". Dipbot.unict.it (in Italian). University of Catania. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d "Cenni storici". Dipbot.unict.it (in Italian). University of Catania. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  4. ^ Galatola 1867:87
  5. ^ Galatola 1867:88

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Giardino Bellini.

37°30′40″N 15°05′00″E / 37.5110°N 15.0834°E / 37.5110; 15.0834

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