The air in Secondigliano, a vibrant district of Naples, often hums with the energetic chatter of children and the daily rhythm of life. Yet, for five long years, a significant piece of its heart, the ‘Oasi del Bimbo’ park, has remained eerily silent, a stark symbol of neglect and broken promises. Once a bustling haven for generations of families, the park, closed since June 2019, has slowly succumbed to disuse, its once joyful playgrounds now desolate.
A Childhood Memory Tarnished: The Oasi del Bimbo’s Decline
Pasquale Esposito, a Naples city councillor for the Democratic Party, knows Secondigliano not from a distance, but from the very fabric of his being. It’s his neighborhood, where he grew up and forged his political identity. His concern for the ‘Oasi del Bimbo’ isn’t merely political; it’s deeply personal. He remembers playing there as a child, later bringing his own children to its embrace. For him, the park’s current state is a painful reminder of what has been lost.
The issue recently resurfaced after Stylo24 highlighted a poignant video: children playing basketball in the park, aiming for a hoop without a net. This scene, reminiscent of a similar case in Marano, takes on a more bitter irony in Naples, a city recently crowned the European Capital of Sport 2026. How can a city aspiring to such a title allow a central public space, especially one dedicated to children’s recreation, to fall into such disrepair?
The closure of the ‘Oasi del Bimbo’ in June 2019 marked the beginning of its decline. Through the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, the area progressively lost its purpose, a purpose it had served faithfully for countless children and families.
Beyond the Swings: A Multifaceted Problem
Councillor Esposito clarifies that the park’s issues are two-fold. “There are two aspects to consider,” he explains. “On one hand, the story of the rides, and on the other, the sports field and the public part of the park.” The rides, a long-standing feature, were eventually deemed administratively incongruous for a public park and had to be removed. However, Esposito stresses that the removal of the rides should not have led to the abandonment of the entire area. “If you remove the rides, you must still give that area a function,” he insists. “The ‘Oasi del Bimbo’ has been a place for families and children for years. I went there as a child, and then I took my own children there. It’s a central area of Corso Secondigliano, not a marginal one. If you don’t give it a function, it risks becoming an inhibited, degraded, even dangerous space.”
Currently, the park presents a mixed picture. One section, dedicated to a football field, is well-maintained thanks to an agreement with the Municipality and a local football school. However, the area where the rides once stood remains problematic. “It’s poorly maintained, there are areas to be fixed, dangerous parts, spaces that risk remaining without a function,” Esposito notes. He suggests that a clearer separation of areas and functions might be necessary to give a distinct purpose to the former playground.
The basketball court, with its missing net, seems a simpler fix. “Yes, there probably wouldn’t be much needed there,” he says. “The court was also restored with municipal funds, in fact, you can see it has been repainted. It’s a matter of attention and ordinary maintenance. We’re not talking about a major undertaking.”
A Glimmer of Hope: The Path to Revival
Esposito reveals that the ‘Oasi del Bimbo’ was once included in a project for long-term unemployed individuals, involving both the Municipality and the government. The idea was to assign teams to ordinary care, maintenance, greenery, and restoration of the area. The question now is whether this initiative will truly materialize and within what timeframe.
The councillor proposes a two-pronged approach for a concrete solution. “On one hand, we need to immediately fix the court, so nets, equipment, and safety,” he states. “On the other hand, we need to think about the old playground area, perhaps formally separating it from the rest of the park and verifying if it can host temporary activities or itinerant rides, with a memorandum of understanding. Whoever uses that area could also contribute to its maintenance, perhaps by donating equipment or taking care of some ordinary interventions.”
Esposito believes that associations and private entities can play a crucial role, but within clear regulations. “It’s not about privatizing the park, but about preventing it from remaining abandoned,” he clarifies. “If someone lives in that space, takes care of it, and oversees it, the park becomes safer and more frequented.”
Given that it’s a municipal park, the initial impetus must come from the Municipality itself, which serves as both an administrative and political reference for the territory. This would involve an initiative from the presidency, the municipal council, and the administrative directorate. The process would then need to be built collaboratively with the central Municipality and relevant departments. For patrimonial and land-use aspects, the Councillor for Budget, Pier Paolo Baretta, who also holds the heritage portfolio, could be involved, given his demonstrated attention to these issues.
From Words to Action: A Call for a Joint Effort
Councillor Esposito expresses his readiness to champion this cause. “Yes,” he affirms. “We could consider a meeting at Palazzo San Giacomo with the Municipality, Councillor Baretta, the President of the Municipality, and the relevant offices. A sort of service conference, an operational table to understand what to do, what process to follow, and which subjects to involve. The important thing is not only to arrive with a complaint about the problem, but also with a concrete proposal.”
Can the ‘Oasi del Bimbo’ truly come back to life? “Yes, if there is will,” Esposito concludes. “It’s a central, historic park, known by everyone in the neighborhood. It can once again be frequented by children, families, the elderly, and young people. But we need to decide what it should become, prevent it from remaining a hybrid and abandoned area, and build an orderly management.” The missing basketball net, he suggests, is a symbol, but the real challenge lies in restoring purpose to the entire space.
Now, the question remains whether these words will translate into action. The proposal for a service conference, an operational table involving the Municipality, central Municipality, relevant departments, and technical offices, aims to untangle administrative knots, clarify the destination of different areas, and forge a concrete path to recovery. Esposito is prepared to lead this effort. Stylo24 will continue to follow the story, hoping that the missing net will not become another symbol of abandonment, but the first step towards giving the neighborhood a truly functional park once again.
Source: https://www.stylo24.it/oasi-del-bimbo-secondigliano-recupero-parco/
