Florence Trevelyan

From Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Trevelyan

Florence Trevelyan (born February 7, 1852, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and baptised at St. Andrew's Church, Hartburn;[1] died October 4, 1907, Taormina, Sicily) was an Italian gardener and pioneering conservationist.

Biography

A member of the well-known Northumberland family, Florence Trevelyan was the only surviving daughter of Edward Spencer Trevelyan and Catherine Ann Forster and granddaughter of Sir John Trevelyan (5th Baronet)[2][3] of Wallington Hall, Northumberland and his wife, Maria Wilson.[4] Her father committed suicide when Florence was aged two[5] and her mother subsequently moved the family to Hallington Demesne, Northumberland, where Florence and her mother appear to have taken a keen interest in establishing the ““pleasure gardens”” there.[6]

After Florence's mother's death in November 1877, she, together with a cousin, Harriet Perceval,[7] toured Europe for approximately two years[8] before eventually settling in Sicily, never returning to England.

She bought Isola Bella, a rocky outcrop only attached to the mainland by a narrow sandy path off the coast below Taormina, built a house and established a garden there. 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.

In 1890 she married Doctor Salvatore Cacciola, a well-known resident of Taormina and for many years its mayor,[9] and moved into the town. There she acquired several parcels of land on the steep hillside below the via Bagnoli Croce and embarked on the creation of another garden, calling it “Hallington Siculo” (Sicilian Hallington). This was a private, shaded, pleasure garden from which there are views of both the sea and Mt. Etna. Again she imported non-native plants, but the garden is most noteworthy for the extraordinary buildings constructed from different kinds of stone, cloth, brick, pipes and other architectural salvage.

The area was given to Taormina after Florence's death and is now part of a much larger municipal park.[10] This unique garden is the second biggest tourist attraction in Taormina after the Greek Theatre and, together with Isola Bella, receives thousands of visitors a year. Her contribution to the life and economy of Taormina has been recognised in books and film.[11]

She was a pioneer of bird habitat conservation in Italy for the benefit of ornithology rather than for shooting opportunities. LIPU Lega Italiana Protezione Ucelli (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 and Isola Bella 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.[12] Florence left her property firstly to her husband and then, after his death to Robert Calverley Trevelyan who is known to have visited her in Taormina.[13] After his death it passed to his brother George Macauley Trevelyan.

As she requested in her Will, Florence was buried near the village of Castelmola above Taormina.

References

Jump up ^ Parish records of St. Andrew's Church, Hartburn, Northumberland
Jump up ^ ""A Very British Family: The Trevelyans and Their World"", Laura Trevelyan. ISBN 978-1- 86064-946-2
Jump up ^ http://www.thepeerage.com Jump up ^ Parish records of St. Andrew's Church, Hartburn, Northumberland. Jump up ^ Death Certificate of Edward Spencer Trevelyan.(1854 Q3 Morpeth 200) Jump up ^ Will of Catherine Ann Trevelyan (Probate Newcastle-upon-Tyne, December, 1877) Jump up ^ Daughter of Florence's aunt, Beatrice Trevelyan and Ernest Perceval Jump up ^ Will of Florence Trevelyan Cacciola Trevelyan refers to a book of letters dated 1881 -1883, written from abroad to her father's cousin SirCharles Edward Trevelyan, who had inherited the Wallington Estate Jump up ^ Newcastle Courant newspaper, August 2, 1890 Jump up ^ The Colonna Park and Municipal Gardens; additional land was given to the town by Dr. Cacciola Jump up ^ Giacoma Gandolfa, Lady Florence Trevelyan, una nobildonna inglesi dell'Ottocento e la sua incantevole seconda patria Taormina, 2013; Cinzia Aloisi, Florence Trevelyan , 2013; film, Florence the Lady of Flores, directed by Giacoma Gandolfa, 59th Taormina Film Festival, 2023 Jump up ^ Will of Florence Trevelyan Cacciola Trevelyan, pp. 17, 23 (in the English translation) Jump up ^ Julian Trevelyan, "Picture Language by Philip Trevelyan"

External links

www.dipbot.unict.it/cnr/files/colonna/storia.htm http://taoedintorni.altervista.org/storiaisola.html

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An English Lady and her Garden… in Taormina

APRIL 2, 2014 / LOCAL INTEREST

TAORMINA, SICILY

Not many things are more important to an Englishman than his garden. Fiercely proud and jealous of it, the garden is the first thing he misses when going abroad… apart from that cup of tea and pint of beer.

Italy also loves giardini inglesi (English gardens), and Sicily is no exception.

When Florence Trevelyan arrived in Taormina in 1884 she set about creating her own corner of England next to the Greek/Roman amphitheatre. She called it Hallington-Siculo, after the name of her hometown in England.

After being orphaned at an early age Florence was taken into the royal household at Balmoral, Scotland through family connections. Queen Victoria fostered her and imparted her passions for dogs and plants, among other things, onto Florence.

At the age of 27, Florence was however suddenly banished from court and given 48 hours to leave the country. It was rumoured that she had a bit of a fling with Victoria’s son, Edward VII. To keep her at a safe distance from home, the Royal Treasurer was ordered to pay Florence an allowance of £50 a month enabling her to embark on her own round-the-world tour. Considered a bit of a maverick for her day, she even sang in an opera in Melbourne, Australia.

After settling in Taormina, Florence married the wealthy mayor and Gran Maestro of Taormina’s Freemasonry Lodge. Adoring husband, he bought her all the mountains at the back of Taormina, including Castelmola where she is buried, and for a mere 5,700 lire (about $1000 at the end of the 19th century, or about $24,000 today) he bought Isola Bella too, the small island below Taormina. Particularly fond of this island, Florence built a house and planted many rare plants.

Life was lived between her gardens and the aristocratic social whirl. Many kings and queens and literary giants were invited to Taormina – even Edward VII but only after Victoria’s death. Not only was Florence benefactress to dogs, birds and penniless poets – she financed Oscar Wilde for a bit after his release for being imprisoned for homosexuality – but also to a whole bunch of local girls who were lucky enough to receive a dowry from her.

Known as a francisa, (the French lady, anyone from northern Europe in those days was automatically labelled as French), she was well-loved by the locals. Florence died of pneumonia due to her predilection for taking baths in freezing cold sea water. The funeral procession walked the 15 kilometers up to Castelmola. Escorting shepherds played Sicilian bagpipes – they had always reminded her of the Scottish ones from her childhood – while the dowry girls threw flowers over her coffin.

True to British eccentricity and her passion for dogs, not shared by the local population however, she created the first dog cemetery in the garden. One of the headstone inscriptions reads:

Jumbo Perceval (Terrier)

True Honorable Loving Little Friend and Helper

Murdered July 24th, 1904

Never Forgotten

by Marian Watson-Virga