After the death of her mother in November 1877, Florence finally arrived in Sicily, the final stop following two years of travel throughout Europe, with her cousin Harriet Perceval. Before leaving England, Florence lived in Balmoral Castle, and was close to Queen Victoria, after the premature death of her husband, Prince Albert. She lived there until she was accused of having an adulterous relationship with her son, Prince of Wales and future King Edward VII. Thus, in order to avoid the scandal in Victorian and Puritan England and at the behest of the Queen herself, she was forced to leave England quickly and permanently.
She then settled in Taormina, where she arrived in 1884, and lived in exile with a substantial royal annuity for the rest of her life without ever returning back to England.
In 1890 she married the town doctor, Dr. Salvatore Cacciola, who was Mayor of Taormina for many years. Over time she bought some land along the slopes of Taormina, and undertook the creation of an English-style garden, that she called “Hallington Siculo”. From this garden, nowadays Villa Comunale di Taormina or Parco Duca di Cesarò, you can enjoy the breathtaking view that has made Taormina famous throughout the world, a view that goes from the coastline to Mount Etna, embracing the whole bay of Naxos. In her garden were placed several species of rare plants and the garden itself was adorned by small fanciful buildings, the so-called Victorian Follies, built with bricks and different kinds of stones, an architectural theme that is also found today at “Casa Silva”, home of our school.
In 1890, Lady Florence Trevelyan bought Isola Bella, the small island overlooking the beach of Taormina, linked to the coast by a narrow sandy isthmus. Here she build a house and a garden. In addition to varieties typical of the Mediterranean climate, she planted non-native species and rare shrubs so that the island would soon become home to various seabirds and interesting lizards.
During her life in Taormina, Lady Florence Trevelyan imported many exotic plants, not yet known in Taormina, from the southern hemisphere, such as Araucaria, Calliandra, and Bahuinia. The Villa Comunale and the garden of “Casa Silva”, our school garden, still boast a lush garden, embellished by the presence of citrus trees and Mediterranean essences as well as centuries-old palm trees, araucarias, magnolias and other towering trees.
A gigantic Araucaria tree and a centuries-old Ficus Benjamina tree actually overlook the garden of our school, a presence that binds us inextricably to the history of this city!
