History
The garden is located on the slopes of Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe and extends for approximately three hectares.
It is strongly characterised by the presence of numerous lava outcrops dating back to an ancient lava flow, which have allowed the creation of spectacular rock gardens with, among other essences, Agavi, Yuccae and Dasylirion, Encephalartos in variety.
The steep slope between the different areas of the garden is one of the most striking features. The system of ancient lava stone terracing, in fact, while evoking the tradition of the citrus gardens and vineyards present throughout the territory of mount Etna, is exploited to create lush environments, in which a great variety of essences, from all over the world, are inserted with extreme naturalness. Oreopanax dactylifolius (Messico), Chorisia speciosa (South America), Dracaena draco (Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, Madeira), to name but a few, a few species introduced to Italy by the owner himself (e.g. Brachychiton rupestris, Australia).
And then the great passion of landscape architect Ettore Paterṇ del Toscano: palm trees. The park is home to no less than 42 varieties, from the most common in the area, such as Chamaerops humilis (Mediterranean basin), Phoenix canariensis (Canary Islands) and Syagrus romanzoffianum (Brazil), to the rarest, such as Phoenix rupicola (India), Livistona decipiens (Australia) and Trithrinax campestris (Argentina, Uruguay).
The garden was created in the late 1950s and has been continuously evolving ever since. The latest, in chronological order, is the collection of succulent plants, which includes more than 30 varieties of specimens.
In the central part of the property is the Etnean woodland: Quercus pubescens, Quercus ilex, Pistacia terebinthus and other indigenous species, which the designer has preserved as evidence of the ancient vocation of the place, to which he has, however, added other essences that would blend in well: Cupressus sempervirens, Celtis australis, in order to cultivate and increase, as he has always loved to do in his creations, the richness and diversity of vegetation, exploiting, as he himself says, the immense welcoming capacity of the Sicilian climate.
