The Vigna del Gallo of the Botanical Garden of Palermo conserves 95 vines of native grape varieties—an invaluable heritage of Sicilian viticulture.
It is a tangible testimony to the island’s biodiversity. The Vigna del Gallo project was launched in October 2018 by the Museum System of the University of Palermo and the Sicilia DOC Wine Protection Consortium, in collaboration with the Department of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Palermo.
The Vigna del Gallo spans approximately 200 square meters. It hosts native grape varieties (including Grillo, Nero d’Avola, Frappato, Perricone, Catarratto, Inzolia) and heirloom varieties (Prunella, Muscaredda, Corinto bianco, Cutrera, Zuccaratu, Visparola). Since its founding in 2012, Sicilia DOC has been committed to protecting the values of cultivation and sustainable production, and to promoting studies and initiatives to safeguard the grape varieties that populate the “Sicilian wine continent.”
The Vigna del Gallo was revived in a section of what was once the vast vineyard acquired by the Royal Academy of Studies of Palermo in the Sant’Erasmo area, which had belonged to Duke Ignazio Vanni d’Archirafi, where the Botanical Garden—founded in 1789—later developed. The Botanical Garden of Palermo is one of Italy’s most important academic institutions. It is a vast open-air museum with over two hundred years of activity, which has enabled the study and dissemination of five thousand plant species—many native to tropical and subtropical regions—throughout Sicily, Europe, and the entire Mediterranean basin. Today, its uniqueness lies in the incredible variety of species it houses, making it a place rich in floral diversity.