Napoli. To remember that that green area in the heart of Napoli once it housed a cemetery, there are still the gravestones, monuments and statues of angels to guard the funeral chapels which from today, after twenty years of closure, will constitute the singular furnishing of a park open to the public.
It is the non-Catholic cemetery of Santa Maria della Fede known to Neapolitans as the "English Cemetery" precisely because, starting from 1826, it hosted nobles, scientists, artists and ordinary people, all British citizens resident in the city.
Over the years the cemetery was incorporated into the neighborhood's public housing blocks, which is why it was decided to close it and gradually move the tombs to the new cemetery.
“We are reclaiming and returning to the citizens parts of the city thanks to a more orderly management of the personnel we have – explained the mayor of Naples Gaetano Manfredi, present at the opening ceremony – and we will soon sign an agreement with Sma, the regional company, for the management of some parks and some areas of the city.
We are working to restore the city's greenery but collaboration and participation from citizens is needed to maintain respect for the common spaces used mainly by children and the elderly".
"The reopening of the park - added Maria Caniglia, president of the third Municipality - is an important step that represents our desire to make public spaces accessible to citizens. Opening this park means giving the neighborhood children, the elderly and residents finally a meeting point that our territory absolutely needs".
Before the park reopened, it was necessary to clear the square in front of it from a huge illegal parking lot. The area has now been transformed into a pedestrian area with small gardens and benches.
Article published on 11 October 2022 - 13:34
