Parco della Gioia, the word to the experts and active citizenship. The videos

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Published by Dario Dongo on April 17, 2023

1) Grottoni, the historical and archaeological interest

Professor Antonello Anappo introduces us to the ancient history of the Alexandrian painting. The area inhabited by the Greek-speaking Egyptians, who arrived in Rome following Cleopatra, rose from the river port near the church of Holy Sparrow – established by Santa Prassede, at the dawn of Christianity – up to the Grottoni. Where it is still hoped to be able to find the catacombs of the two martyrs San Felice, and the basilica dedicated to them.

The researcher Stefania Nisio of ISPRA Ambiente – engaged for years in the exploration and studies of the underground city, in this quadrant of the city – shows us the prospects of new discoveries. Right in the subsoil of the third mile of the ancient via Campana, in the area designated for the Parco della Gioia. A keynote which fuels the hope of bringing San Felice back to light, on the eve of the imminent Jubilee.

1.1) Grottoni, the first exploration

Speleologist Marco Placidi, president of the association Rome's underground, recounts the outcome of the first exploration carried out with his team in the basement of the Grottoni, on April 7, 2023. Thanks to the green light of the area's cultural and archaeological heritage manager, Alessio De Cristofaro. A surprise not to be missed.

2) Parco della Gioia, active citizenship

active citizenship, in a neighborhood with a very high population density such as Magliana – Pian Due Torri, immediately welcomed the Parco della Gioia project with great enthusiasm. As demonstrated, live, by some of its protagonists.

2.1) Neighborhood Committee

The Neighborhood Committee Magliana has been active for almost half a century, to bring people to the center of urban planning and housing policies. In an unequal fight against the building owners and the public administration which too often bends over to their service.

Alfredo Toppi and Marco Filippetto, lawyer, explain why one cannot admit the umpteenth building subdivision and instead the green treasure, as well as historical and archaeological, of the Grottoni must be recovered. All the more so in an area already destined for public parks and urban gardens, whose expropriation had already been approved.

2.2) Social gardens

A.EDUC.A. is a voluntary organization engaged in social and educational gardens in the XI district of Rome. Your Linda Merighi explains the value of these activities for the physical and mental health of elderly and disabled people, as well as young and very young people, thanks to contact with nature and its fruits. But the social gardens available today are few and far between, and it is therefore necessary to obtain some in the Parco della Gioia, a few steps away from the 35 inhabitants of Magliana – Pian Due Torri.

3) Disability and inclusion

The Lamp of Wishes is a voluntary organization founded in 2011 to offer a space and a point of reference to all people with disabilities in the Magliana – Pian Due Torri district. A multidisciplinary hub that integrates a series of activities aimed at promoting social inclusion, improving the independence and relational skills of the disabled. Its president Paola Fanzini explains the need for a green and accessible space in the immediate vicinity, which is precisely the Parco della Gioia.

Rome Open Lab is the social promotion association created in Magliana with the support of the Neighborhood Committee and the Third Sector Network, in synergy with the numerous non-profit organizations at regional and national level where its president Luca Zarfati, councilor of Égalité, represents the disabled community. An open laboratory of ideas, arts and crafts aimed at including disadvantaged people, also from a socio-economic and cultural point of view, in the various contexts of work and aggregation.

4) Inclusion and cooperation

Jersey 80 is the reference social cooperative, in Pian Due Torri, to promote the social and cultural integration of people in difficult conditions, also satisfying the need for work and economic and social security. Under the banner of a culture of hospitality and mutual respect in the 'diversity' and riches of each one. Its president Germana Cesarano (on the cover), a psychologist, explains to us the problem of degradation also linked to overcrowding and the lack of green spaces.

I have year zero is the social cooperative of reference for the entire Municipality XI, as well as for the Municipalities IX, X and XII of Roma Capitale and the Municipality of Frosinone. Founded in 1982 to offer summer holidays to people with disabilities, H Anno Zero has organized the management of more complex services over the decades, which include assistance to hundreds of families and disadvantaged people. Its president Maddalena Maggi welcomes us to the Corviale headquarters to share the history and daily life of the cooperation.

3) Territorial policy

Enrico Vulpiani – president of the special commission for technological innovation and digitization in Municipality XI – was the first to enthusiastically welcome and support the Parco della Gioia project. People of all ages and physical conditions have the primary right to have a green and accessible lung in the immediate vicinity of the mega-dormitory of Magliana – Pian Due Torri, where further construction cannot be tolerated. Instead, we need to promote social and technological innovation with an educational function oriented towards sustainable development.

thank you everyone for your participation and support. Not a centimeter of soil is immolated to concrete, as the proclaims Rome Food Policy. (2) And full speed ahead with the #ParcodellaGioia, a Archeo-Green-Edu-Park in the caves of San Felice!

Dario Dongo