Saturday, October 19, 2013

Autumn in the "Secret Garden", Giudecca

Some of the vineyards behind Le Zitelle, whose fruit was crushed at the cantina on San Michele I featured in 3 posts at the end of September
What I'm calling a "secret garden" isn't really a secret at all, though it is walled and well out of the way of any tourist routes. It's a large community garden behind the church of Le Zitelle that I first found out about (and posted about) last March (http://veneziablog.blogspot.it/2012/03/secret-garden-giudecca.html), when I was determined to become a regular volunteer there. It hasn't worked out that way. Jen and Sandro worked there a few times, until SpiazziVerdi--the excellent organization that runs the Giudecca garden--helped create another community garden in the large rather unkempt yard beside Sandro's pre-school near Sant' Alvise in Cannaregio, to which Jen and Sandro then devoted their energies.

I'm hoping, though, to work tomorrow in the garden behind Le Zitelle during SpiazziVerdi's "Aglio Day": a day devoted to planting that potent bulb. More information about the day can be found here: http://spiazziverdi.blogspot.it/.


What struck me about the Giudecca garden when I recently visited one late afternoon, was that the community that benefitted from the garden was not limited to gardeners. At the far end of the large walled lot in which the garden is located is a casa di riposo (rest home). There were no gardeners at work when I visited, but a number of residents from the rest home were walking with a family member or friend or caretaker among all the growing things. None of the residents I saw looked to be in any condition to garden themselves, but even those of diminished lucidity seemed to enjoy the plants and flowers, to enjoy being among the real tangible verdant world at a time in life when, unfortunately, it's all too easy and common for their world to shrink to the dimensions of their lodgings and a television. 

Of course at any time of one's life these days it's not uncommon for our world to shrink to the dimensions of our ubiquitous electronic devices. One's very standing in the world often seems to be reflected in the number and sophistication of the electronic devices to which one is wedded--or even welded, so to speak. It makes me appreciate organizations like SpiazziVerdi all the more, and their commitment to community which is not merely virtual.



12 comments:

  1. Would love to see this garden during our three-month stay starting next week.

    Thank you!

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    1. If you're going to be here for 3 months perhaps you can do more than just see it... The SpiazziVerdi blog gives info on when people meet to work in the garden, you could even do that, if you'd like, and have the rare experience of digging in real Venetian earth! I think the vast majority of people who come to Venice have a hard time believing that there are any gardens (or unpaved earth) here at all.

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  2. Have you got that "exorcism" memorised for when you plant the bulbs? (Aglio, fravaglio, fattura ca nun quaglio, corna, bicorna, capa r’alice e capa r’aglio).

    JustTravel, maybe we can go and do some work there this winter?

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    1. Thanks, Y, for something I clearly need to memorize now. Where did you learn it? And does it work?

      It was so gray and damp on Sunday that we didn't end up going to the garden as planned. Maybe next week.

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  3. This is a place I really want to visit, I love that this group has taken into their hands to put this great space to use, and with such sustainable practices.

    Next visit....

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    1. I really like SpiazziVerdi, they're one of those groups in Venice that manage to keep hope alive in spite of whatever else is going on.

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  4. I was wondering if you were continuing to go back to this garden! Lovely photographs, thank you for sharing them.

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    1. Thanks, Susie, I'm glad you liked the post, and I wish I could say I've gone back to the garden as much as I thought I would. There's just too much to do in this little city.

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  5. lovely lovely blog .... bravo per tutto ...

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    1. Thank you very much, camposanmaurizio, and thank you for reading.

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  6. Vorrei assolutamente amore per godere di momenti di relax in questo giardino, è bella.

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    1. Mi sembra che è un luogo dove si trova relaxation con una zappa in mano!

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