Gioeni Park in Catania
The Gioeni Park of Catania is the largest in the city, it is built on a volcanic soil, has a Mediterranean-type vegetation with native essences such as olive trees, bougainvillea, oleander, agave and fig. India. The park owes its name to Giuseppe Gioeni, an illustrious naturalist and volcanologist who lived between the 18th and 19th centuries.
Located on a hill, the park at the main entrance houses a wide staircase where you can contemplate the panorama of the Etna city. Inside the Gioeni park it is possible to admire an ancient Benedictine aqueduct, dating back to the eighteenth century, which creates an archaeological walk: it is the longest and most majestic lava stone aqueduct in Europe, one of the greatest achievements of that epoch.
Inside the large park it is possible to visit the Grotta Tondo Gioeni: it is a small cavity created by the lava flow, and along some walls it is possible to identify detachment foils. In the city of Etna, the lava flow caves represent a unique and original heritage: part of these caves even attest to the importance of cults and rituals starting from the Neolithic.
This large green lung is also a meeting and entertainment point for children thanks to the play areas in the park.
