Palermo will have a new park, 4 times the size of the Foro Italico: where and when it was born

It was talked about months ago. The citizens had loudly requested it and, now, (hopefully) things are moving forward the second largest park in Palermo after that of the Favourite. In the city, the Villa Turrisi Park is preparing to change its face, after years in which it was invaded by brambles and waste. The city will thus have a new park urban.

The area, a few steps from Parco Uditore, is preparing to become a green lung thanks to the choice of the municipal council to impose restrictions expropriating the lands. But what does it mean?

The privately owned green spaces within Villa Turrisi will be expropriated. The City Council, in fact, took the field with a second resolution, after the urban planning variant approved in 2021.

Les jeux sont faits At that time? Are the games over? Not exactly. To see the new face of Parco Villa Turrisi, in fact, we will have to wait a bit, since the tenders for the awarding of the works should start by March 31, 2026: under penalty of losing the entire PNRR loan of 5,200,000 euros.

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To be clear, the area that will be reevaluated extends along the area between Viale Leonardo da Vinci and Via Ruggeri, De Grossis, Di Blasi and Politi. The green area extends for over 250,000 m2. The area is large four times the Foro Italicothree times Parco Uditore and slightly larger than Parco Ninni Cassarà, making it the largest green area in Palermo, after Parco della Favorita.

But what does the new restyling?

As we anticipated in one of our articles, in the area of ​​the future Park, trees and shrubs will be planted to create shaded areas to shelter from the sun, also serving cycle paths and pedestrian paths. There is also space for mobility (always sustainable) with “green” bus stops. In fact, Amat, the company that deals with the public transport service in Palermo, will be proposed to create green stops along the perimeter of the Park, so as not only to guarantee a shaded area for passengers, but also the retention of rainwater, the supply of green spaces and, why not, a space for socialising.

The project also involves the construction, within the Villa Turrisi Park, of a green corridor and of a cycle path. The ecological corridor, due to its characteristics, will be designed to preserve the animal and plant species that live in the area. To this end, particular attention will be paid to the construction of a fence that allows the passage of wildlife. A lighting system will then be built and the park area will be partially fenced.

They won’t be missed picnic areas, paths equipped for sports in the part of the park outside the Greenway, which will be left free for 24-hour use without fences except for a multipurpose sports field, and a children’s playground. Finally, there will also be areas for free WiFi connectivity, benches, drinking water fountains and toilets.

The park will be equipped with a fenced space dedicated to dogs. «Palermo will have a new urban park: the area of ​​Villa Turrisi – explains the city councilor and president of the Urban Planning Commission, Antonio Rini – will become a green lung thanks to the choice of the city council to affix the constraints expropriating the land.

A choice of extraordinary importance and supported with conviction by the Urban Planning Commission: faced with the risk of further land consumption or speculation, the commission and the city council made their voices heard, allowing the creation of an urban park that will change the face of a portion of the city.

Thanks to the expropriation restrictions for the construction of greenery, a school and a nursery, placed with today’s resolution, a public space available to families and children”.

«As a member of the urban planning commission, I expressed my vote in favor of approving the constraints on the Villa Turrisi Park, an important step towards safeguarding our territory and its historic green heritage» adds councilor Tiziana D’Alessandro.

The implementation of these constraints is crucial to guarantee the community the creation of a large park, thus contributing to the protection of the environment and the promotion of a more sustainable and healthy lifestyle for future generations. Furthermore, I would like to express my satisfaction with the approval of the Agenda, proposed by me, which commits the municipal administration to making the path inside the Turrisi Park currently closed by gates, in order to encourage sustainable mobility and improve the quality of access to schools.

This intervention, proposed on the agenda, allows us to bring forward the enjoyment of greenery, in particular for children and young people who attend the school named after Emanuela Loi, awaiting the complete construction of the Villa Turrisi Park, expected no earlier than 2026. This measure compensates for the three years late in the discussion of the resolution, offering a concrete opportunity for our community to enjoy green spaces”.

«The approval of the resolution which reconfirms the expropriation constraints in favor of the areas destined for the future Villa Turrisi Park, over 17 years after the approval of the resolution of the Council of the Fifth District which proposed the “construction of a public garden in the area between viale Leonardo Da Vinci and via Ruggeri, De Grossis, Di Blasi and Politi”, materializes another important step in the path that will lead to the definitive realization of the work”, declare Concetta Amella, city councilor, and Simona Di Gesù, councilor of the V Constituency (M5s).

«First of all, it will finally provide the V District with a park which, by extension, will be only slightly smaller than that of the Parco della Favorita and will guarantee the 5,200,000 euros of the PNRR necessary for its construction, with an eco-sustainability footprint and a restyling of the entire “Passo di Rigano-Uditore” neighborhood.

We will monitor all the steps – they conclude – so that the tenders for the award of the works start by 31 March 2026, under penalty of losing the entire financing that we have managed to raise”.