Two steps in the Villa

The Villa was born during the Bourbon era, in 1854, with the intention of creating a botanical garden. It was inaugurated in 1907 by King Vittorio Emanuele III, who on that occasion also unveiled the bust dedicated to his father, Umberto I.

Inside, there are some monuments such as the busts of some national and local patriots, and buildings of historical value, such as the neoclassical portal of Palazzo Vitrioli from the 14th century: made of soft limestone and Lazzàro stone, it belonged to the building destroyed by the earthquake in 1908.

In addition to these historical testimonies, there are also authentic Roman columns in the Villa, giving it the name “Viale delle Colonne”, located next to favourite destination of children: the duck and swan pool and the goldfish tank.

The most important attraction at Villa Comunale is its botanical garden, which hosts unique and exotic plants. Along the avenues, we can find numerous specimens of luxuriant palm trees, fig trees, magnolias, banana trees, pepper, rubber, and camphor trees, and the bottle tree. Among the rarest plants, one can admire some Auricaria specimens, among which are the Auricaria bidwillii and Auricaria excelsa, the Chorisia insignis (Monkey Puzzle), the Ficus Elastica (Rubber tree), the Ficus Macrophilia (Ficus Macrophylla or Moreton Bay Fig), the Nolina Recurvata (Elephant foot or Pony tail palm), the Dracaena draco (Dragon’s blood tree), Judas trees, dwarf palms, and numerous other flower species.

A space dedicated to leisure time

The Villa is a place where the inhabitants of Reggio spend their free time: inside there is a small refreshment space and children’s rides. Moreover, throughout the year, and particularly in the summer, many recreational and cultural events are hosted here.