When I was a child, my mother used to read me books, and one that has remained with me is The Secret Garden, by Frances Burnett. The story, stuffed with the usual melancholy of English and American novels, told of an untreated garden. The little protagonist, however, found the help of a friend of his to give him back the light. He had a real vocation for nature. The same that is found in Airola.
The town of Airola
In the Valle Caudina, there is a town of 8361 inhabitants. To protect it, Mount Taburno stands out imposingly, surrounding it in a maternal embrace. The vegetation winds up to the city limits, creating a combination of colors. With its unchallenged naturalness and the calm that characterizes villages like this, the village grows silent, in a bubble of tranquility and traditions. The paved streets intertwine, guiding the visitor through the various historic churches. The history of the Santissima Annunziata church dates back to the 14th century and there are ancient paintings and sculptures. The sacristy, added in the 18th century, bears the signature of Luigi Vanvitelli. The Monastery of San Gabriele Arcangelo is more ancient and stocky, but in any case it exercises its spiritual charm reflecting its ancient origins of 960. Between the bright spring green of the trees and the red roofs of the houses, Airola seems to be the appropriate place for the Garden Secret.
Passion for nature and all its expressions
It is in this bucolic and uncontaminated country that the Secret Garden has its roots. Like the young Dickon of the book The Secret Garden, the creator of the natural space, Giovanni Ianniello, has a boundless passion for Mother Nature and her creatures. He designed the garden at age 23 to channel his indomitable energy and his imaginative creativity. His inspiration initially took the form of unchallenged love for art and literature but he decided to become an active part of our earth system. Become a landscape architect, he took care of the garden lovingly. As the garden grew, Giovanni realized that something was missing, in fact it was necessary to share the earthly Eden he had known. Thus it was that the animals began to populate it, until it became the Secret Garden that can be visited today.
The world in a garden
The Secret Garden welcomes many types of animals and plants. With around 13,000 square meters, the theme park is a successful experiment to get at least a taste of the rest of the world. The various species of vegetation are around 16,000, in addition to animals such as dwarf alpacas, peacocks, turkeys, fawns, parrots. Coming from 53 different countries of the world, they are all united by the undisputed habitat in which they live, perfectly installed in a special environment. Furthermore, seven different gardens are reproduced: Japanese, Mediterranean, tropical, dry, Chinese, Australian and English; finally, the botanical collections conclude the general picture of an enchanted world where you can dive to breathe pure air and understand the life of these animals.
Rediscover cohabitation with Il Giardino Segreto
In a world that today has forgotten what is due to nature, the Secret Garden reflects what we should aspire to. Giovanni Ianniello has shown that the right compromise is possible: we must not destroy what allows us to live but live with it. Keeping animals and plants, allowing them to live in a natural habitat without disturbing them, but helping them find their space should be the mantra of each of us. In fact, we often read about how magical these places are, with their natural charm. In reality, they are more common than we think but we are helping to cancel their existence. Unaccustomed to living with plants and animals, the Secret Garden reminds us that it is essential to know what humanity, nature and purity mean. In a world that today has forgotten what is due to nature, the Secret Garden reflects what we should aspire to. Giovanni Ianniello has shown that the right compromise is possible.
The Secret Garden is the answer
We must not destroy what allows us to live but live with it. Keeping animals and plants, allowing them to live in a natural habitat without disturbing them, but helping them find their space should be the mantra of each of us. In fact, we often read about how magical these places are, with their natural charm. In reality, they are more common than we think but we are helping to cancel their existence. Unaccustomed to living with plants and animals, the Secret Garden reminds us that it is essential to know what humanity, nature and purity mean.
