Botanical Garden of Catania
The Botanical Garden of the University of Catania, whose foundation dates back to 1858 by Francesco Tornabene Roccaforte, still preserves the original structure intact today, both in the design of the garden and in the architecture of the neoclassical building.
The Garden is divided into the General Garden and the Sicilian Garden.
The almost geometric layout of the avenues, which divide the General Garden into squares, is articulated on two orthogonal axes whose focal points are the School building, the sector pool and the large greenhouse, called Tepidarium.
In the garden there is a remarkable floristic richness, which is distinguished by some thematic collections but also by the presence of plants of great value and rarity.
The Sicilian garden, with its collection of spontaneous plants of the island, is certainly the most peculiar sector. Here, according to an arrangement for natural environments, large tree species are present, such as Quercus ilex and the natural hybrid Q. fontanesii, Ceratonia siliqua, Pinus pinea, as well as numerous valuable endemisms, such as Zelkova sicula and Celtis aetnensis.
