Giardino Bellini

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

• Giardino Pacini

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. "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

• Galatola, Crescenzio (1867), Catania e sue vicinanze. Manuale pel viaggiatore (in Italian), Catania
• Cantone, Ugo (1978). Il giardino Bellini di Catania. Analisi di una modificazione ambientale (in Italian). Catania: I.D.A.U. OCLC 614535582.
• Urso, Vittorio; Piattella, Azzurra; Nicolosi, Salvatore (2000). Giardino Bellini, Catania: luoghi storici della memoria (in Italian). Catania: Seritime. OCLC 751732063.
• Galeazzi, Marina (2010). Il Giardino Bellini di Catania. Tra storia e progetto (in Italian). Acireale: Bonanno. ISBN 978-88-7796-758-9.
• Giglitto, Danilo (2013). "Il giardino Vincenzo Bellini di Catania. Una prospettiva antropologica". Anuac (in Italian). 2 (2): 104–117. Retrieved 18 August 2015.

External links

• (in Italian) Giardino Bellini at the Botanical Departement's website of University of Catania.

37.5110°N 15.0834°E / 37.5110; 15.0834