ORTO BOTANICO

A characteristic and particular green area in the city, originally designed by the architect Giuseppe Burzotta and Prof. Giuseppe Barbera, subsequently managed by the architect Barresi and under the operational responsibility of Dott. Antonio D’Aloisio, it is entered through the “Portale d’Ingresso” -“Entrance Gateway” a work by Pietro Consagra made in cement and marble, 10.00m high and 8m wide. Continuing inside, one meets the installation by Medhat Shafik (winner of the 1995 Leone d’Oro – Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale) “Qanat - le rotte del cielo” made in 1996 and composed mainly by a column in billiemi stone, 750cm high and two elements in tuff stone 450cm high; on the western edge of the garden one can see the Meridiana e Ellittica by Ettore Colla. The interest in this work comes from the fact that it is a contemporary and avant-garde revisiting of the most ancient instrument for measuring time, in which the sundial is made up of a gnomone, in other words, a needle which projects its shadow onto the base or quadrante, thus giving indications as to the hour of the day