Villa Tasca d'Almerita

In 1855, Lucio Mastrogiovanni Tasca took his first steps towards the transformation of his property, changing the formal parterre garden into the “Giardino irregolare”, modeled after the Gardenesque style in vogue in England at the time. Thanks to Palermo's mild climate, exotic plants could grow better in Palermo than in any other place in Europe. In particular, this part of the garden features some of Palermo's largest specimens of Cycas revoluta, an incredible Norfolk Island Pine, and nearly a dozen different palm species. While the interior pathways are free form, the perimeter gate, four circular fountains, and long axial entrance maintain the original formal geometry of the precedent parterre garden.

In 1870, work began on a new area also inspired by English Landscape gardens. It is divided into three sections: The Swan Lake, the Artificial Hill, and the Acclimation Garden.
Changes in topography, sculptures and follies (miniature reproductions of real or imagined classical ruins) evoke feelings of the Sublime in the viewer. The Swan lake is bordered by a lush forest of green and black bamboo and Chamaedorea palms. The sprawling Morton bay fig dominates one side of the lake area with its perennial shade. On the adjacent bank, a circular temple dedicated to Ceres, the Roman Goddess of agriculture, sits atop a small mountain with artificial grottos. Winding
pathways lead to the Hill, with its lovely cast iron bridge and gazebo. At its back, the Acclimation garden begins with the succulent and xerophyte collection where various species of Yucca, Opuntia, Aloe, Agave and Nolina are planted around an impressive Dracaena draco tree. Finally, just beyond the succulents, a forest of stately Araucaria columnaris leads to a monument dedicated to the family's great patriarch, Lucio Mastrogiovanni Tasca.