Campania – Since 2019, the association The Insane Apple dedicates himself with passion to the redevelopment and maintenance of urban gardens in the heart of Naplesmanaging land located in via San Domenico and in Scudillo. Curious name for an association that deals, among other things, with promoting a type of organic and natural agriculture. But you must know that “insane apple” is the ancient way in which the aubergine was popularly called, a vegetable which if consumed raw is toxic and which was once considered capable of driving madness, but which if cooked becomes delicious and takes on properties beneficial for human health.
«We chose this name for our association because when we took over these lands they were in a total state of abandonment, but with patience and care we managed to recover them and return them to the community», the lawyer Francesco Maria Amodeo, president of the association, explained to me.
THE BEGINNING OF IT ALL: THE INSANE APPLE WINS ABC’S PUBLIC NOTICE
Francesco Maria Amodeo, together with a small group of friends, had been looking for a location since 2015 not too far from home, where you can carve out a small green space. At the time there were news about the imminent inauguration of urban gardens in the Vomero district, but the project failed to get started until it was taken up again, four years later, by ABC – the Acqua Bene Municipality of Naples company -, owner of the lands, which in fact arise close to the city’s water reservoirs.
A public tender was announced for the management of those lands and La Mela insana managed to win the lot in via San Domenico, immediately starting the redevelopment works. Shortly afterwards, in 2022, the association also obtained management of the Scudillo land, behind the Colli Aminei. «Recovering those spaces was not easy, because both lands had been abandoned for years. We prepared the soil, built a water system and worked to ensure safe access”, said Francesco Amodeo.
In a short time both spaces have undergone an incredible transformation and today the vegetable gardens are thriving, have been made available to the citizens of Naples, entrusted in small batches to families or groups of people who take care of them. «Each vegetable garden has its own fountain and there are common areas where there is the possibility of meeting, exchanging information on crops, the methods adopted or even simply having a chat and spending a day in the greenery together with friends and family».
We start from the common experience of the garden and chat after chat we become friends
THE NEED FOR GREEN SPACES IN THE CITY
«We didn’t expect such a great response from the citizens. The association was born with five founding members, while today there are 400 of us. Initially our objectives were completely personal: we were a small group from Vomero with the desire to have a small green space near home available to our families».
But in a very short time the Insane Apple was overwhelmed by requests for land which to date are all occupied and long waiting lists. «The association has grown practically on its own, under our direction». The enthusiasm with which Neapolitan citizens welcomed the opening of the urban apple orchards of the unhealthy apple is certainly an indication of how strong the need is felt for those who live in the city to get closer to greenery and the earth.
RECONNECT WITH NATURE AND CREATE NEW BONDS
«My grandfather had land that he cultivated and so for me working the land is also a way to reconnect with my childhood. The people who today take care of the vegetable gardens feel the need to disconnect from everyday life, get involved in a different activity, certainly tiring, but satisfying.” Having garden neighbors is also an excellent opportunity to create new bonds and sharing space promotes community building. «La Mela Insana is a social promotion association, the ultimate aim is to create an opportunity for exchange between people who are united by the same passion. We start from the common experience of the garden and chat after chat we become friends.”
Creating new ties with the land and with the people of the area is therefore the first objective of the La Mela Insana association. «We certainly don’t aim to become self-sufficient, because a small plot of cultivated land cannot meet all the needs of a family, but it is certainly a great satisfaction to sit at the table and have the opportunity to consume the products from your own garden and realize how different the flavors are compared to those of the food industry.”
THE PROMOTION OF THE RIGHT TO HEALTH
But it doesn’t end here. La Mela Insana also aims to culturally promote the development of the right to health and for this reason is committed to restoring a healthy environment to the city. The Mela Insana gardens are cultivated without the use of chemical products and with a careful use of water resources, trying to recover rainwater, respecting such an important and at-risk resource.
Different and new flavors are those that arise from the crops of La Mela Insana, where ancient local cultures are also recovered which are not carried forward by industries for economic reasons. «We have recovered a variety of plums typical of Camaldoli and discovered that we can obtain production for long months by alternating different cultivars; Furthermore, we continue to cultivate different types of tomatoes which have now disappeared from the market, replaced with more resistant hybrid varieties.”
The commitment of the La Mela Insana association, carried out with passion and dedication, demonstrates how the connection with nature and the sharing of experiences can create significant bonds, teaching us to take care of each other, as well as of our Earth. The Insane Apple is an example of how small actions of each of us can have a huge impact on the community and the environment.
