Riflessioni "a margine". Il workshop "Sul margine dell'Orto Botanico di Palermo" dal punto di vista di una storica dell'arte

The paper is the result of a historical research conducted during the Architecture workshop "Sul margine dell'Orto Botanico di Palermo. Spazi per Visiting Professor" ("On the edge of the Botanical Garden of Palermo. Spaces for Visiting Professor"), organized from 24 to 27 September 2018 by the Professors of the University of Palermo Andrea Sciascia, Giuseppe Di Benedetto, Giuseppe Marsala and Antonino Margagliotta and included in the teaching activities of the PhD in Architecture, Arts and Planning. It consists of a descriptive part of the Manifesta12 interventions – the prestigious nomadic Biennial of contemporary art whose last edition took place in Palermo – at the Botanical Garden. This introduction is important to understand how the city and the area of intervention were considered: as a laboratory of differences and hybridizations in which to be able to act proactively. Subsequently the history of the Botanical Garden is reported, including the various projects, both realized and unrealized, of expansion (in particular the International Ideas Competition of 1984). There are also considerations on the research and style of Léon Dufourny in the design of the pavilions and his relationship with Greek architecture, as well as considerations on the relationship between the Botanical Garden and the nearby "Villa Giulia". The last part includes a report with related reflections on the different stages and developments of the workshop.