I giardini borbonici di Palermo tra conservazione e valorizzazione

This essay, through the presentation of an educational experience regarding two Palermo parks-gardens, aims to offer a cognitive contribution and critical reflections, for the enhancement of these assets, with particular reference to section D) of the ICOMOS-IFLA Florence Charter. The heritage of the historic gardens in Palermo and Sicily, created by the Bourbon kings in the early nineteenth century, as an integral part of their royal estates, constitutes today a precious heritage not adequately valued, not recognized as a unicum, even in relation to similar Campania heritage. This heritage includes the Parco della Favorita, established by Ferdinand IV of Bourbon in 1799 and the d' Orlèans estate, whose land was purchased in 1809-10 by Ferdinand himself and then donated to his daughter’s husband Louis Philippe d'Orléans, who he made a real park, enriching it with paths and architectural-monumental elements. The subsequent splitting and dismemberment of the owners, together with an insufficient knowledge, protection, and care of both, led to the loss and degradation of various elements, architectural and vegetal with historical value insistent therein.