Santa Marta’s warehouse complex, in Italian Caserma di Santa Marta, is located in Veronetta, a region on the east side of Verona. Originally, it was a place where bread and biscuits were made for the Austrian soldiers in the 19th Century. Today, although some of its houses are old and uninhabitable, it hosts the headquarters for some associations, as well as a university faculty.
Inside Santa Marta we can find a station for the local Police. They usually open the gate for the complex every morning. Outside the Police station, it is common to find the two pets of Santa Marta, two cats, one male and one female. Although there is no actual consensus as to their real names, they are usually very friendly to the volunteers whenever they meet them.
Besides a Police Station, we can also find the Associazione Volontariato della Libertá (Verona) and the Istituto Veronese per la Storia della Resistenza e dell’etá contemporanea (A.N.P.P.I.A.).
The Santa Marta complex also hosts a section of the Faculty of Economy of the University of Verona. It is therefore common to find lots of students coming and going. If the weather is nice, they’ll sit in the garden to study or socialize. The former Panificio, the main building of Santa Marta, is currently blocked due to the restoration works that will turn it into another University building.
There is also a small garden in Santa Marta where it is common to find the neighborhood children playing or their families having fun. The volunteers often work here, cutting the grass, cleaning the leaves and keeping the space clean. Essentially, they work to maintain the green areas of Santa Marta so that the neighborhood inhabitants can come with their families and enjoy the space.
Finally, inside the complex, we can find one of the offices of CSV - Centro Servizio per il Volontariato. This association promotes volunteering and helps anyone who is interested is developing volunteering projects, at home or abroad, or starting a volunteering association.
By entering the offices of CSV and climbing to the first floor, we reach the house of the Volunteers of Legambiente.
