Just past Porta Nuova, among the honey-coloured stones of the old town, two tuff pillars inscribed Giardino and Cavallotti mark the entrance to one of Marsala’s most surprising places. This is Villa Cavallotti, the public garden locals love most: a shady oasis of giant fig trees, with roots hanging from the branches like curtains and trunks that look like sculptures. For guests staying at Zi Mari it is the perfect walk during the hottest hours of the day, or at sunset, when the light filters through the leaves.
A garden born from the old city walls
The story of Villa Cavallotti begins at the end of the 19th century. In 1895 the town council decided to turn the moat that ran along the 16th-century city walls, by the San Francesco bastion, into a garden. The project was entrusted to Giuseppe Grasso, who designed a park on two levels: the lower one fills the old moat, the upper one sits on what remains of the bastion. That is why, as you stroll along its straight and curving paths opening onto small round and square clearings, you feel as if you were walking through the city’s history.
Why it is called Cavallotti
The garden was first dedicated to Francesco Crispi. It was later named after Felice Cavallotti, a Garibaldi volunteer, journalist, poet and politician who founded the historic Far Left. Under Fascism his statue was removed and the garden went back to Crispi’s name; in 1943 the statue returned and the garden became Villa Cavallotti for good. Today the town has had it recognised as a protected cultural heritage site.
The giant fig trees of Villa Cavallotti
The real stars of the garden are its trees. The most spectacular are the figs: the Ficus macrophylla, also called the Moreton Bay fig, native to Australia, and the Ficus elastica, the rubber tree from tropical Asia. After more than a century they have grown huge trunks and buttress roots that spread across the ground like waves of stone, while long aerial roots hang from the branches and, once they touch the soil, become new columns. Around them grow dwarf palms, exotic plants and rose beds that make the garden a pleasure in every season.
What to see at Villa Cavallotti
A small fish pond welcomes visitors at the entrance; on the upper level there is a fountain, and a flight of steps has replaced an old cascade. Along the paths you will find the statue of Felice Cavallotti and the busts of Giuseppe and Abele Damiani, key figures of Marsala during the Risorgimento. A detail close to our hearts: our holiday home is right on Via Abele Damiani. From the upper part of the garden the view opens towards the sea, Capo Boeo and the Egadi Islands.
Practical information
- Where: Piazza della Vittoria, next to Porta Nuova, in the historic centre of Marsala.
- Admission: free.
- Indicative opening hours: according to the Municipality of Marsala, Monday to Saturday 8:00–19:00, Sundays and public holidays 8:00–14:00. Hours may change with the seasons, so it is best to check before your visit.
- For children: a playground.
Villa Cavallotti is an easy walk from the historic centre, where Zi Mari is located. Combine it with a stroll along the Cassaro and, at sunset, a trip to the Marsala salt pans: a day that shows the city in all its shades.