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# 85 NOVEMBER 21 , 2016
# 85 November 21 2016
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ITALIAN GARDENS:
Kolymbetra Garden, Sicily
By www.italianbotanicalheritage.com
vegetation and structure promoted by
FAI led to the discovery of some hidden
numerous testimonies. In 2012 it was
among the 10 finalists of the competition "The Most Beautiful Park in Italy."
of the territory. During the restoration
work, about 1500 of these trees were
planted, including 300 varieties of almond trees in bloom from December to
THE VEGETATION
The Kolymbetra Garden consists of 5
areas: citrus, almond-olive grove, scrubland, riparian vegetation, rocky vegetation.
The citrus grove represents the 29% of
the park, and consists of bitter orange
trees, varieties of sweet oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruit and clementine; there can be found also mulberries,
plums, medlar, pear and figs.
The Kolymbetra Garden (greek word for
a type of pool used in Roman times for
aquatic sports) is an archaeological site
of great historical, scenic, agricultural
and natural importance, located in the
Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. In
1999, the regional government has entrusted it to FAI (Italian Fund for the Environment) in free concession for a period of 25 years, ending the situation of
abandonment of the last decades of the
twentieth century. The restoration of the
The almond-olive grove is located on the
steep walls of Kolymbetra, at the foot of
the calcarenitic cliffs, and it covers 18%
of the land. In the Valley of the Temples,
almond trees (Prunus dulcis) and olive
trees (Olea europaea) are the dominant
plant component, adapting well to the
soil and long periods of drought, typical
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WE THE ITALIANS | 53
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