Veduta aerea Giardino Scotto_ foto con drone (F. Muzzi)
Scotto Garden
Interno Giardino Scotto (L. Corevi, Comune di Pisa)In 1781, the fortress was sold to Gaspare Chiesa, then passed , in 1798, to Domenico Scotto, a rich shipowner and merchant from Procida who in 1775, at the age of 25, moved to Livorno. His was a life full of encounters, mercantile trades and aristocratic friendships in the society of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. The Cittadella Nuova of Pisa, so called to distinguish it from the first fortress, the Citadel in Lungarno Simonelli, where the arsenals are also located, was dismantled and demilitarised. Domenico Scotto had it transformed into a garden of delights with a kaffeehouse and contributed himself to embellish it with laurel, bulbs and strawberry trees from Holland. He also imported various plants including oranges and lemons also from Portugal. He was helped by his daughter-in-law, Teresa, who between 1811 and 1827 bought many tree species, also from the Botanical Gardenof Pisa. In 1935, the Municipality of Pisa purchased the garden and, based on a project by engineer Gino Steffanon, started its renovation. The bombings of '43 and '44 left many gaps, and the octagonal-shaped kaffeehouse was destroyed. However, today, following numerous restorations, the Scotto garden is the most romantic public green space in the city.
