Villa Giuseppe Mazzini

Situated where at one time was the spectacular “Piano di San Giovanni” square, Villa Mazzini rises in a place where in the Roman period there once was a necropolis. In ancient times, the square was embellished by a big basin that was used as a drinking trough for horses and to wash clothes. It was also used to purge silk, during the period in which this activity was the leading industry of the city. During the Our Lady of the Assumption feast, a galley vessel was put in this tank, made of precious materials, built at clergy’s expense, representing some scenes of the legation that went to Nazareth to visit the Virgin. According to tradition, it represented the return of the ambassadors who, in 42 A. D., went to Palestine to visit the Virgin. According to another tradition, it represents the return of the Cristian fleet that, ruled by John of Austria, defeated in 1571 the Ottoman Empire during the battle of Lepanto. In accordance with other sources, it represents the miraculous arrival to the port of some mysterious vessels full of grain during a period of shortage. 

Also known as “Giardino della Flora” (Flora’s Garden) for the variety of plants, after several rearrangements and reorganizations of plants, the park is like an “Italian Garden,” with flowerbeds bounded by cement paths and big spaces for children. Scattered along the paths there are some busts of famous personalities such as Giuseppe Mazzini and Francesco Maurolico, among others. 

Inside the park is the City Aquarium.