Florence Trevelyan

The Taorminese lawyer and journalist Dino Papale, whose maternal grandfather was Cesare Acrosso (1898-1990) (Podesta of Taormina, nephew and heir of Salvatore Cacciola),[16] who resides in the former Trevelyan palazzo in Via Teatro Greco,[17] wrote a book published in 1995 called Taormina Segreta - La Belle Epoque 1876-1914, in which he claims that the young Florence was expelled by Queen Victoria from the English royal court and high-society, due to an affair she supposedly had with Prince Edward, the queen's eldest son and the future King Edward VIII.[18]

The Isola Bella, below Taormina

In 1890 she purchased the Isola Bella in 1890, a small rocky island below the town of Taormina, attached to the mainland by a narrow sandy path, on which she built a house and established a garden. In among the native Mediterranean plants she planted non-native trees, rare shrubs and grasses. It became the home of various sea birds and some interesting lizards. After Florence's death Isola Bella stayed in private hands until 1990 when it was taken over by the Regional Government of Sicily who designated it a Nature Reserve. It is maintained under the auspices of the World Wide Fund for Nature.

One of Florence Trevelyan's "follies" in the Giardino Pubblico, Taormina, Sicily, being one of the smaller examples

The largest of Florence Trevelyan's "follies" in the Giardino Pubblico, Taormina

In 1890 she married Salvatore Cacciola, a doctor and well-known resident of Taormina who served for many years as its mayor,[19] and moved into a residence in the town. There she acquired several parcels of land on the steep hillside below the Via Bagnoli Croce down to Giardini on the coast, and below the famous Hotel Timeo, where she had first resided in Taormina.[20] There she embarked on the creation of another garden, which she named Hallington Siculo ("Sicilian Hallington") after her childhood home in England. This was a private and shaded pleasure garden from which there are views of both the sea and of Mount Etna. Again she imported non-native plants, but the garden is most noteworthy for the extraordinary and eclectic follies constructed from different kinds of stone, cloth, brick, pipes and other architectural salvage. These she called "the hives" and used as observation points for bird-watching and "as a quiet place to have her tea".[21] She built as her marital residence a substantial villa on Via Teatro Greco,[22] now known as Palazzo Acrosso-Papale[23] near to the Hotel Timeo.[24]

After Florence's death the land was expropriated by the municipality of Taormina [25] and is now part of the Giardino Pubblico called "Parco Florence Trevelyan", a larger municipal park.[26] This unique garden is the second biggest tourist attraction in Taormina after the Greek Theatre and, together with the Isola Bella, receives thousands of visitors a year.

She was a pioneer of bird habitat conservation in Italy for the benefit of ornithology rather than for shooting opportunities. LIPU Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli (Italian League for the Protection of Birds) was not founded until 1965. All the real estate bequests in her will contain the proviso that the legatee should not cut down trees, cultivate land or build houses in any portion of lands she owned in England or in Sicily. She also imposed on those who inherited Hallington Siculo garden and Isola Bella island the obligation of not killing any wild bird or young bird which may be found ... but cats, rabbits, ravens and falcons must be shot as they are destructive to the little birds and trees. Also all animals and birds, viz. dogs, goats, parrots, peacocks, pigeons, doves, canaries and all other birds of whatever description shall be maintained in health and comfort, with all care and affection, as they have been kept in my lifetime, and that they shall not suffer in any respect.[27]