EASTERN SICILY PRIVATE GARDENS

In search of the undiscovered Eastern Sicily. Our atypical tour is planned out looking beyond all common Sicily package tours and focusing on the main theme: plant life and green soul of the island east territory. Critical resources in our journey are: the Botanical Garden of Catania, the mount Etna, the colony of Papyrus that grows luxuriantly on the banks of the river Ciane, the ISOLA BELLA, which recently has been included in the protected area plan and can be visited only upon permission of Messina Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.

The tour goes on visiting the legendary garden of Belvedere property of prince Maria Carla Borghese, which is the unique garden in Sicily to be a member of the Italian Gretest Garden Association, finally reaching the gardens created by the landscape designer Ettore Paternò, father of almost all of major gardens in Catania, whose thought is resumed in a sentence we urge to quote: “the garden is like your old dress you has became sentimentally attached to, should get comfort and harmony across you”. This tour makes the stereotype of a burnt land Trinacria to fail, while open up our mind on the wide unimaginary landscapes of this land.

Day 1 - CATANIA
Visit of the Garden property of Mrs Soci Ciancio, which is full of mediterranean and subtropical vegetation, Ms Valeria Ciancio is our guide, assistant chairwoman of the Cultural Etna Garden Club of Catania.
Lunch: Free time at one’s disposal, an opportunity to choose your own delightful culinary experience in local eating houses or cake shops where it is possible to try some of the very tasty traditional specialities.
BOTANICAL GARDEN
In 1788 the first botany chair was established within the branch of medicine and pharmacy at the University of Catania. Seventy years later in 1858 the strong will of Francesco Tornabene Roccaforte, benedictine monk and botany chair holder by that time, brought to the setting up of first botanical garden, which later on in 1860 thanks to providence donation of Mr Mario Coltraro was enlarged, the new area beeing dedicated to cultivation of native spontaneous plants, accordingly to the will of donor. Since then no further enlargements were able to take place due to the fast expansion of town built-up-area now completely surrounding the botanical garden. The garden today is still showing its original nineteenth century plan, which ranks it among the most important Italian historical gardens. The richest collection of this garden beeing represented by succulent plants (Cactaceae Variety).
About 2000 species nowadays, grew-up both indoors and outdoors. Special mention goes to those specimens collected inside the ancient greenhouse, as the Echinocactus grusonii, the Euphorbia, many different kinds of Cereus (Cereus peruvianus species), the Opuntia, the Pereskia grandifolia, the Stapelia, the Borzicactus, the Cleistocactus and so on. It is non of secondary important the collection of palms in this garden, which can be grown out-of-door thanks to the mild climatic conditions of this area. There are about a hundred samples, some of them very huge, in range from the common variety to the most rare one: Archontophoenix, Sabal, Arenga engleri, Phoenix, Pritchardia hillebrandii.
BELLINI GARDEN, the visit to this public garden and green lung of Catania represents a great opportunity for walking around the tree-lined ways of the park and take a look from top of the panoramic hill at the old town against the majestic scenery of mount Etna volcano. The locals use to call the park “a Villa”, (the Villa), as it is a place for meeting people, conversating, but also a place of leisure, relaxation and fun just in the heart of the city. The garden made its opening at the end of nineteenth century and was realized by including an older garden of the eighteenth century "the Labirinth" formerly built by Prince Biscari and the vegetable garden of San Salvatore. The park extends over an area of 70.942 sq mt on which promenades, flower beds, fountains, small bridges, sculptures and busts of notable people in Catania, find their location in a luxuriant surrounding vegetation made of trees, woodplants and bushes typical of the mediterranean and exotic flora.
Night accomodation at a four stars hotel in Catania. Registration and dinner.

Day 2 - TAORMINA

Tour of ISOLA BELLA (= beautiful island), a small island located within a gorgeous bay on the Ionian sea between the Cape of Taormina and Mazzarò, which is Also known as The Pearl of the Ionian Sea for its extremely beauty.
Wilhelm von Gloeden, a german baron who called a worldwide popular interest on the isle artistic value, named this island. In 1998 it has became a natural reserve and now it represents one of the most evocative island of that area.
Lunchtime is unscheduled in order to let much time at one’s disposal for relaxing, having fast food break or individual strolling or visits.
Visit to the GARDENS OF COUNCIL VILLA, dedicated to the Duke Colonna of Cesarò. The beauty of this city green paradise, which is placed southward with respect to the Greek Theatre, is represented by many different characteristics as the stunning panoramic view on the south coast of Etna volcano and the luxuriant and exotic mix of plant life. Such a paradise could be founded thanks to the strong will and donations of its patron the English Lady Florence Trevelyan.
Return to the hotel for dinner and night stay.

Day 3 - WALKING TOUR ON MOUNT ETNA AND VISIT OF FARO GARDEN CENTER

Breakfast in hotel and Pullman transfer to the feet of the highest mountain in Sicily and the topmost volcano in Europe: ETNA with is 3.300 meters ground elevation.
The volcano is merged in the surrounding natural preserve park of 58.000 hectares named there after Etna Park, which is among the largest protected areas of Italy. Etna volcano is still active today, therefore the surrounding flora is constantly changing to match the otherness of vulcanic conditions, but the dormant volcano has not prevent Catania built-up area to keep on expanding till reaching the mountainsides. Walk route is pointing out the succession of vegetation growth sequential to height changing. The walk starts on the eastern slope of Etna and passes through typical hillside villages made up of villas with gardens and acrosses the mountainside fields of crop and vineyards till reaching Zafferana where we stop to take a look at the front made by lava in 1991-93. Here some pioneer plants can be observed as they start installing on the lava. Keeping on the Mareneve road we pass through woodlands and flows in a great succession of different colours and landscapes, walking on we find out the Etna birch trees park and many different endemic species there growing: milk vetch, mount Etna broom (Genista aetnensis), larch pine (pinus laricio or pinus nigra), saponaria (soapworts), etc.
Lunch is served in a typical restaurant, (this meal is included in travel fee).
Visit of CHESTNUT TREE OF ONE HUNDRED HORSES, a real “plant life monument", also described in influential botanic researches as the largest and oldest known chestnut tree in the world, set only 8 km far from the mountain's crater, it is generally believed to be 2,000 to 4,000 years old. The great number of ancient paintings and pictures of foreign and Italian artists are witnessing its legendary age. The tree name originated from a legend in which a queen of Aragon and her company of one hundred knights, during a trip to mount Etna while travelling from Naples to Spain, were caught in a severe thunderstorm. The entire company is said to have taken shelter under the tree
Our day trip ends with a guided tour of the FARO PLANT BREEDING CENTRE, the company established 30 years ago is now leader in Europe for the breeding and marketing of Mediterranean, sub tropical and tropical plants offering a huge variety of plants from cactus and Australian flora species to all Mediterranean and exotic ones. The company is actually producing more than 2000 different breeding selections of 400 plant species over a surface of 310 hectares, but is now carrying out also a greenhouse area of 30 hectares for high quality production.
Return to the hotel for dinner and night stay.

Day 4 - FLUVIAL TRIP ON RIVER CIANE AND VISIT TO THE GARDEN OF DEL BIVIERE

Breakfast in hotel, bus transfer to the protected area of the province of Siracusa that in 1984 has became natural oriented reserve for a pleasant ONBOARD ITINERARY ALONGSIDE THE RIVER entitled to the nymph CIANE assisted by an expert naturalistic guide.
The river has two heads a major one called “Pisma” and a smaller said “Pismotta”, which both are few kilometres from Siracusa. The river line after a short run of 6 km flows into the great port of Siracusa. The river banks are full of high and verdant cyperus papyrus finding in this magic place their unique European spontaneous resort, such a wall of papyrus, some of them standing erect and some bending on water, gives to the landscape a natural african look. The trip might also foresee an excursion down the riverbank to enjoy the magic of this evocative scenary and take a close look of papyrus and the surrounding age-old ash trees. This trip is recommended in springtime when the play of light is more amazing. During all journey our naturalistic guide will narrate the history, nature and mythology of this place.
Lunchtime in Siracura is unscheduled and let everybody free to enjoy time at one’s disposal for town shopping, strolling, relax, typical food, individual or group advanced cultural visits.
In the afternnon the tour keeps on visiting the GARDEN OF CASE DEL BIVIERE, belonging to princess Maria Carla Borghese. The legend has it that here Hercules, son of Zeus, presented Cecere, the harvest goddess, with the skin of the Nemean Lion he had defeated, and there created a lake bearing his name: Lacunus Erculeus. This lake formerly luxuriant of plant and animal life was dried out in the 1930’s in the fight against malaria, thus subsequently abandoned by fishermen and hunters and the mansion on the lake was reduced to a mass of ruins. Today, thanks to its residents’ love for plants, it has been turned in a unique and pictoresque mediterranean garden. The old south-facing port shows an extraordinary collection of succulent plants, Cactaceae Variety, growing on the carefully and tastefully restored jetties to form a gangway of greenery. But there are also glorious palm trees, blue Jacaranda, Parkinsonia and old roses among Yuccas.
Dinner with traditional menu is served in a typical restaurant next to the garden. Return in hotel for nightstay.

Last day: GARDENS OF CAV. ETTORE PATERNO’ DEL TOSCANO

Hotel breakfast. Last day tour starts with visiting two special gardens, both designed by Cavalier Ettore Paternò del Toscano, dean of Italian landscapers but well known and appreciated also abroad.
The Gardens are called VIRLINZI and ARANZULLA: they are two top green models of mediterranean flora, as they are very rich of plants which are coltivated on the fertile soil and the ancient lava settlements of mount Etna.
Lunch is served in local agritourism nearby and is made of traditional homemade dishes, (meal is included in travel fee).
In the afternoon we finally visit the GARDEN Of VILLA PATERNÒ, belonging to Mr Paternò itself, where do a rich botanic collection of palm trees and other plants leaving in mediterranean climate areas characterize the landscape. His great love for botany has urged him to transform the ancient rural lands into garden.
Late in the afternnoon bus transfer to the airport for check in and return flight.