Balio Gardens
| Balio Gardens | |
|---|---|
| Giardino del Balio | |
 Balio Gardens parterre | |
 Interactive map of Balio Gardens | |
| Type | Public garden |
| Location | Erice, Sicily, Italy |
| Coordinates | 38°2′9.92″N 12°35′22.69″E / 38.0360889°N 12.5896361°E |
| Area | Approximately 6 hectares |
| Elevation | Approximately 750 meters |
| Manager | Municipality of Erice |
| Status | Open to the public |
| Designation | Member of Grandi Giardini Italiani |
| Website | Official website of Erice |
The Balio Gardens (Giardino del Balio) are public gardens at the summit of Monte Erice in Erice, Sicily.
The gardens take their name from the Bajulo, a magistrate who represented the sovereign authority following the Norman conquest of southern Italy. The Bajulo resided in what is now known as the Balio Towers (Torri del Balio), which also served as a gatehouse to the nearby Castle of Venus (Castello di Venere).[1][2]
The gardens are sited on 6 hectares of land surrounding the towers, previously used for grazing.[1] Situated at an elevation of approximately 750 metres, the gardens command panoramic views over Trapani, the Aegadian Islands, Monte Cofano and the surrounding landscape of the historic Agro Ericino.
The Balio Gardens are part of the Grandi Giardini Italiani network.[3]
History
[edit]The Balio Gardens were created in 1872 by Count Agostino Sieri Pepoli who leased the Balio Towers and grazing land from the city in exchange for restoring the towers and developing a public garden.[1]
The garden was opened to the public in 1881. Pepoli also undertook extensive planting works, introducing pines, walnuts, almonds and other trees across previously barren and scrub-covered slopes known locally as the Bosco Sacro di Erice, transforming the area into a landscaped green space.[4]
The gardens were designed in an English landscape style, featuring Mediterranean and exotic plants, paths bordered by Buxus sempervirens hedges, and areas of woodland.[3][5]
The layout follows an informal, non-geometric design, with vegetation arranged to adapt to the natural topography. The site is structured across multiple levels and accessed via a long staircase and a stone balustrade leading to an intermediate rectangular garden space.[4]
Features
[edit]Key features in the gardens include:
- Fountains: The Fountain of Venus and the Bee (1933, attributed to Prof. Quartana; restored in 1975 by Prof. Giuseppe Lamia); and the Fountain of the Eye, located at the centre of a parterre.[5][6]
- Pepoli Turret (Torretta Pepoli): A neo-Gothic folly, originally created by Count Pepoli as a place for contemplation, set on a rocky platform to the east of the gardens.[1][7]
- Monuments: Busts of Giuseppe Coppola, Ugo Antonio Amico, Antonio Cordici, Giuseppe Vito Castronovo, Nunzio Nasi, and Giuseppe Pagoto (historian)[8]; a Monument to the Fallen commemorating the war dead; and a commemorative stele dedicated to Pietro Ermelindo Lungaro.[9]
- Outlooks: Viewpoints over Trapani, the Aegadian Islands, the Stagnone Lagoon, Monte Cofano, and the surrounding landscape.[3]
Flora and ecology
[edit]The gardens host a mixture of cultivated and spontaneous vegetation, including both ornamental species and native flora characteristic of Monte Erice. Tree cover is dominated by species such as holm oak (Quercus ilex) and pines, with undergrowth including ivy (Hedera helix), while hedges are formed by box (Buxus sempervirens), laurel (Laurus nobilis), and myrtle (Myrtus communis).[4]
A notable feature of the gardens is the integration of autochthonous rupicolous (rock-dwelling) plant species originating from the calcareous cliffs surrounding the site. These include Silene fruticosa, Dianthus rupicola, Lomelosia cretica (syn. cabiosa cretica), Atamantha sicula, and Centaurea ucriae, which have become established within the garden’s walls and rocky areas.[4]
This combination of cultivated and native species creates a distinctive ecological and ornamental landscape, reflecting the natural vegetation of Monte Erice while enhancing biodiversity within the historic garden setting.[4]
Restoration
[edit]The gardens were restored and enhanced between 2019 and 2024, following the allocation of €1.6 million in funding secured by the municipality of Erice.[10][11]
The project, led by Vincenzo Giacalone and landscape architect Pietro Pio Pedone, focused on improving biodiversity, removing invasive species, and enhancing visitor accessibility.[12][13][14][15] The works formed part of wider restoration initiatives involving the adjacent Bosco Sacro di Erice.[16]
Gallery
[edit]-
Site map of Balio Gardens -
City view from gardens -
Pepoli Turret -
Monument to the Fallen -
Garden cafe -
Fountain of Venus and the Bee
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References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Tusa, Matteo (2017). Erice: Planning for Life. Erice: Self-published.
- ^ "Il Castello di Venere". Fondazione Erice Arte (in Italian). Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ a b c "Giardino del Balio". Grandi Giardini Italiani. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Rossini Oliva, Sabina; Valdés, Benito (2001). "Il Giardino del Balio (Erice, Sicilia): integrazione della flora autoctona in un parco urbano" [The Balio Garden (Erice, Sicily): Integrating Native Flora into an Urban Park]. Informatore Botanico Italiano (in Italian). 33 (1): 311–315.
- ^ a b "Giardino del Balio, tra storia e mito". VilleGiardini.it (in Italian). 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Restaurata la Venere Afrodite al Balio" (PDF). Trapani Nuova (in Italian). Trapani. 9–16 September 1975. p. 2.
- ^ "Torretta Pepoli". Fondazione Erice Arte (in Italian). Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ "Collocato ai Giardini del Balio un busto dedicato al prof. Giuseppe Pagoto". Comune di Erice (in Italian). 7 August 2020.
- ^ "Erice rende omaggio a Pietro Ermelindo Lungaro ai Giardini del Balio: collocata una stele commemorativa". Comune di Erice (in Italian).
- ^ "Erice, approvato il progetto di riqualificazione per il "Giardino del Balio"". TP24.it (in Italian). 25 June 2023.
- ^ "Erice, un milione e 600 mila euro per i giardini del Balio". Telesud Web (in Italian). 27 June 2022.
- ^ "Erice, lo storico Giardino del Balio torna al suo antico splendore". Giornale di Sicilia (in Italian). 18 November 2023.
- ^ "Giardino del Balio di Erice, al via i lavori al finanziati con fondi Pnrr". Telesud Web (in Italian). 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Al via i lavori al Giardino del Balio, finanziati con fondi PNRR". Comune di Erice (in Italian). 17 November 2023.
- ^ "I lavori al Balio, si va verso l'apertura a step dei giardini comunali di Erice". Telesud Web (in Italian). 28 April 2024.
- ^ Trapani, Ferdinando; Pirrera, Gianluigi; Pedone, Pietro (2026). "People, Mediterranean Landscape, and Environment: A Complex Relationship: The Case of the Historic Garden of Balio in Erice (Trapani, Italy)". In Mohammad, Pir; Tunio, Muhammad Nawaz; Gagliardi, Francesca; Longato, Davide; Pérez Corral, Antonio Luis; Chaminé, Helder I. (eds.). Sustainable Cultural Heritage and Tourism of Territorial Assets: Interdisciplinary Approaches in Cultural Landscape Management in the Built Environment. Vol. 3. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. pp. 15–27. doi:10.1007/978-3-032-17887-9_3.
External links
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