Palermo - Botanical Garden

(Local Name: Orto Botanico) Near to the Villa Giulia in Palermo stretches the Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico) which was laid out in 1789; the massive entrance with Doric-columned lodges on each side and the central dome were the work of Franzose Léon Dufourny in 1789. The Garden, one of the most important in Europe, covers 11ha/26.5 acres and contains over 10,000 plants from all over the world, some growing in the open and some in hot-houses. There are plans to expand it by a further 10ha/25 acres.