municipal villa et gardens Villa Comunale e giardini

Prior to being handed over to the Commune in 1922, the public gardens, now dedicated to Giovanni Colonna, Duke of Cesarò, were the private park of Lady Florence Trevelyan’s house, the cousin of Queen Victoria, who lived in Taormina at the end of the nineteenth century and married the mayor of that time. They date back to 1890-99 and were made following with meticolousness the directions of Florence Trevelyan, who was fascinated by the essences of the Mediterranean scrub and the Sicilian colors, but aware that in order to create a park, it was necessary to refer to the English garden tradition . In addition to the great variety of plants, what strikes most are the so called Beehives or Victorian Follies, eastern-style constructions with terraces on different floors, arches that open to form windows, and turrets at the top. There are some at different points in the park and their uniqueness is given by the materials used to build them, such as limestone, lava and red bricks. Some elements of ancient times were also included:capitals and other remains of the Greek-Roman period, ornamental elements of the five-seventeenth century. Walking on its tree-lined avenues one can admire a beautiful view on the Naxos Bay.