The Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico) of Palermo is located right next to the Villa Giulia, the city’s most famous public park. Unfortunately, the garden is not very well maintained.
Botanical Garden Palermo
Address, opening hours and entrance fee
Address: Via Lincoln 2/A – Palermo. Telephone: +39 +39 091 7489995. Opening hours: November to February from 09:00 to 17:00; March and October from 09:00 to 18:00; April and September from 09:00 to 19:00; May to August from 09:00 to 20:00. Entrance fee: 6 Euro; children 6-12, students under 25, elderly over 70: 3 Euro; families: 2 adults + maximum 3 children under 12: 15 Euro.
History
The Orto Botanico di Palermo was designed by the French architect Léon Dufourny in 1789. The garden covers an area of about 100 thousand square meters. More than 12 thousand different species of plants can be seen.
The highlight is the largest specimen of the ficus macrophylla to be seen in Europe. This plant wraps its branches around those of other trees. The specimen in the Orto Botanico is 25 meters tall and has a diameter of 21 meters. It has been there since 1845. (A second specimen of this plant can be seen in the Piazza Marina.)
In addition to local plant species, there are a tropical forest, a palm grove and a collection of historical plants. There is also a small lake with water lilies and turtles.