As far as we're concerned, an afternoon spent in Palermo's botanical gardens is an afternoon well spent. Since the 18th century botanists have been taking advantage of Sicily's gentle climate and fertile soil to grow rare an exotic plants in this park which serves as the Department of Botany for the University of Palermo. With 12,000 species of plants conserved across the spaning acres of the garden and inside of its lovely greenhouses, it's easy to get immersed into this other world within the city center.