"Paradise is an Arab word, and therefore an Arab concept. It means 'garden', which for people from north Africa and the near east implied walls girdling an area in which plants, paving, decoration and running water combine to make a heavenly space, the skilful hand of man in homage and harmony with the gifts of Allah ....*"
It was the Arab presence in Noto (part of the Val di Noto) between the 9th and 11th centuries that established the giardini or gardens of Noto. Along the banks of the Asinaro river, fruits, nuts, vegetables and large variety of trees and plants grew in abundance in this area, nourished by the rich, fertile soils. Many of the trees and fruits that now thrive in Sicily were introduced during this period of Arab rule, as Arab travellers and traders brought lemons, oranges, manadarins (& other citrus), almonds, pomegranates, mulberries, figs, and varieties of READ MORE
*Horatio Clare, Sicily through Writer's Eyes, Eland Books London xxxx