The history of the garden

The island of Procida, subjected to the Da Procida family for many years, was sold as a fief to the Cossa family and subsequently granted to the d'Avalos family.

The island experienced thriving moments, but also dark periods. She was repeatedly attacked by Saracen pirates and devastated by Ottoman raids. As evidence of this, the old watchtowers on the sea, which have become a symbol of the island, are still visible today. In about 1530, the family of Avalos (feudaries of the island until 1700) had a wall built around the citadel of Terra Casata and thus began the excavations of the moat in the current Via Largo Castello. After the closure of the old Via Tabaia, the citadel could only be accessed via two drawbridges. With the Battle of Lepanto, which began in 1571, the Saracen fleet of the Mediterranean was destroyed and it was no longer necessary to continue the construction of the defensive bastions. Here these gardens were made from the 'excavation' materials, on an old steep that led directly to the sea.

The vines were imported from Greece and in this area an immense vineyard was planted, so the area became par excellence nicknamed the 'Vigna'.

Currently, the gardens of Torre Tabaia mainly grow the products that were needed to supply the nineteenth-century fleet: one of them was the artichoke that was very convenient to store in oil or salt. Particularly cultivated were also legumes and potatoes, which at the time were also grown three times a year.