Villa Pacini

Located under the arches of the Marina, over whose viaduct the railroad track passes, near the port, and just outside the Uzeda gate, the ancient city gate, itstretches triangularly between Cardinale Dusmet Street and Borsellino Square, hasan area equipped with games for children

Nicknamed "Villa 'e varagghi" by the Catanese, as it was a destination in the past especially for elderly people who went there to relax and "yawn"; ("varagghiu" in fact means yawn in Catanese).

the Pacini Garden is not only one of the four urban parks, it is a Catanese emblem, one of the oldest places in the city, which has become for years a daily container of stories, anecdotes and local culture.

Passing through Villa Pacini, in fact, one can still come across families gathered around the games placed there by the municipality; Catanese who, while strolling, stop to look at what remains visible of the Amenano River; or small groups of elderly people who, armed with table and chairs, set up daily mini gambling dens to spend time in harmony observed by passersby and the many tourists who stretch out on what little greenery remains. In short, there is no shortage of buzz, although sometimes there are those who find it a little hard to imagine Villa Pacini as it once was, spacious, green and above all full of life.

Founded in the Risorgimento era, the ancient Villa initially christened as ?della Marina?, overlooked the foot of the sea.When construction work on the Messina-Siracusa railway line was begun in 1866, giving rise to what we now know as the ?Arches of the Marina? just above the villa, there were several controversies. It was not until 1978 that the original villa was renamed ?Villa Pacini?, in homage to the Catanian musician and composer Giovanni Pacini.

Over the years many renovations have been carried out and, due to the retrocession of several tens of meters from the sea, Piazza Alcalà, now Piazza Borsellino, has emerged next to the villa.

Villa Pacini continues to retain a certain charm, thanks to the presence of a stretch of the famous Amenano River. Here is one of the very few points where it is possible to admire the course of the Catanese river before it flows into the open sea.