Villa Giulia, opened in 1778, was the first formal public park in Europe — a Bourbon-era statement of enlightened urbanism laid out by Nicolò Palma on a quadripartite grid of broad avenues, with parterres, fountains, and statuary at each crossing. Goethe walked here in 1787 and wrote that the gardens were "the most beautiful place on earth".
The park sits next to the Orto Botanico, just outside the line of the old city walls. Bandstands and small kiosks scatter through the formal beds. The fountain dedicated to the Genio di Palermo, with a marble figure of the city's guardian spirit suckling a snake, is the iconic image. Free entry; safer in daylight than after dark.