The Orto Botanico di Palermo is one of the city’s most enchanting cultural landmarks, a vast open‑air museum of Mediterranean, tropical, and subtropical flora. Founded in the late 18th century, the garden reflects the Enlightenment spirit that shaped Palermo’s scientific life, expanding over time into a lush landscape where rare species and monumental trees thrive. Visitors enter a world of serene pathways, historic greenhouses, and elegant neoclassical buildings such as the Gymnasium and the Aquarium, which frame the garden’s scholarly origins. Among its most iconic features is the enormous Ficus macrophylla, whose sprawling roots and branches create a natural cathedral admired by botanists and travellers alike. The garden’s atmosphere is peaceful yet vibrant, offering a retreat from the city while celebrating centuries of research, exploration, and botanical exchange. Today, the Orto Botanico remains a living testament to Palermo’s global connections and its enduring fascination with the natural world.
Palermo ItalyOrto Botanico di Palermo nestles in the Kalsa district of Palermo's historic centre, adjacent to Villa Giulia public gardens and a brief walk from the central train station. This expansive 10-hectare green oasis, founded in 1789 by the University of Palermo, unfolds next to the ancient Piano di Sant'Erasmo area amid orchards and residential streets. Nearby beckon the Arab-Norman treasures of Piazza Bellini with La Martorana and San Cataldo churches, the Foro Italico seafront promenade, Palermo Cathedral, Quattro Canti crossroads, and the lively Ballarò market, blending botanical serenity with the city's vibrant heritage core.
Archaeological Museum Antonio Salinas
Palermo
Palazzo Abatellis
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Modern Art Gallery Sant'Anna
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Sicilian Ethnographic Museum Giuseppe Pitrè
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Museo internazionale delle marionette Antonio Pasqualino
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Rooms at the Museum of Majolica Genius
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Museo Diocesano Palermo
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Pinacoteca Villa Zito
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Museo del Risorgimento Palermo
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No Mafia Memorial
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Museo Falcone‑Borsellino presso il Tribunale di Palermo
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Ecomuseo Mare Memoria Viva
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Museum of Geology “G. G. Gemmellaro
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Città delle Illusioni
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Palazzo Asmundo
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Palazzo Butera
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Palazzo Alliata Villafranca
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Palazzo dei Normanni
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Teatro Massimo di Palermo
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Teatro Politeama Garibaldi
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Teatro Biondo Stabile
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Teatro Santa Cecilia
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Teatro Libero
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RizzutoGallery
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Francesco Pantaleone Arte contemporanea
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Palazzo della Cuba
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Zisa Palace
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Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri
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Castello di Maredolce
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Palazzo Gravina di Comitini
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Palazzo Celestri di Santacroce
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Palermo Cathedral
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Basilica della Magione
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Church of Jesus of Casa Professa
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Church of Saint Mary 'dell'Ammiraglio'
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Chiesa e Monastero di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria
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Church of Saint Cataldo
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Church of Saint John of the Hermits
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Chiesa di San Domenico
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Church of the Immaculate Conception
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Chiesa del Carmine Maggiore
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Quattro Canti
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Fontana Pretoria
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Porta Nuova
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Porta Felice
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Ponte dell'Ammiraglio
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Albero Falcone
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Parco Piersanti Mattarella
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Giardino Garibaldi
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Parco d'Orleans
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Giardino Rosa Balistreri
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Giardino dei Giusti
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Giardino della Zisa
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Parco di Villa Tasca
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Planetario di Palermo
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Palermo Astronomical Observatory
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