Great place. One part (park) is free and it is divided by great gates from this Botanic Garden…read more Both are nice and should be visited. Free park first and then paid. In free park you'll see the old entrance to Botanical Gardens with great statues. It was too many plants for me. Way too much, but some of them left me with an open jaw. The tree with spikes all over it! I call it three hedgehog. There are toilets. Great place for romantic walkaround. Ticket €5! This is oldest botanic garden in Europe! 200 years old.

I dropped by here almost by accident when I was exploring the city, it was only €5 for entrance so…read moreI thought heck why not take some time to explore it and try out my new macro lens I bought for my digital camera. The gardens history can be traced back to 1779 making it the oldest garden in Europe and now covers 10 hectares, the gardens has certainly been run down which is a shame. The garden has a number of Australian plants which always makes you a little homesick such as the Moreton Bay Fig. There is also a free garden next door that you can also explore, if the weather is good or far too hot I would suggest dropping by the gardens to cool down as there is plenty of cover to escape the heat and plenty of paths to explore.

Is it a nice park? Yes. However, what makes it worth the slight detour is the great views of Mount…read moreEtna. Nice setting with great view.

One of the nicest places in all of Sicily. Truly a delight and wonder.read more

This lovely park is located not far from the Cattedrale di Palermo and the Norman Palace along Via…read moreVittorio Emanuele. Paved paths, a fountain at the center and lots of greenery. Many of the trees are palm trees because of course, Palermo is on the Mediterranean Sea and even in January there will be green. In the Summer, I would imagine that this would be quite the spot to hang out and get out of the bright sun. But for us in winter, it was just a pleasant spot to pass through on our way to lunch. [Review 12823 overall, 138 of 2020.]

you have the option to pay for a self guided walking tour & go down to the water, or just go down…read moreto the water. The walking tour was easy, gave you some good photo opportunities of the area but overall if you opted to not take it, you wouldn't be missing much. The real beauty is down at the water. Be warned, walking through the water barefoot is extremely painful! I regret not having water shoes. Overall, a great experience though. Wasn't too busy when I went near closing time

Hard to believe that I am the first to write a review of this amazing national (protected) park…read more The Gole Alcantara is a place for anyone who can enjoy nature at its best, Anyone who would like to understand the beauty that comes from actual lava, anyone who would likes botanical gardens, anyone who just loves to relax, enjoy the sun and the water in a slightly different way than usual. Entering the Gole you first get a small little museum which explains what you are about to see. Also there is a really nice 3D movie with special effects (for the sake of not being one of those spoilers I will not go into any more details) After the movie is finished you enter the botanical gardens which have several parts. First you see all the trees and plants created due to natures reaction to what the Etna drops down. Then you walk through a bit of history where you can see which pre-historical animal were sighted here a long long time ago. And then you enter a lovely peaceful place with fruits and vegetables. Agriculture at its best, while walking above the stream of the Gole. After a good 1.5 hours walking and relaxing and seeing and enjoying you will finally have reached the end of the park......Or so you think.....Cause now the fun can begin....You either walk the 250 stairs downwards or like sane people take the elevator, down to the stream. This stream is a magical stream which broke through the lava and ensured the people from the Toarmina coastal area were saved. This is nature at its best showing us just how powerful water is. This stream has the most beautiful (super cold) clear water which you can walk through. There is also a possibility for guided walking tours which go deeper into the split of the rocks. the streams current is very fast so make sure that if you wander you stay grounded. if not you will fall over with all your belongings. When you are done exploring you can relax on the beach area and enjoy the sun. To me the Gole is one of the most amazing places in Sicily. And that is saying a lot especially considering that Sicily has so much to offer.