The memory of Belice
by Daniela Silvestri
portfolio special mention call 'Urbanautica Institute Awards 2024', 2024
Category: Representations of Space, Architecture, and Conflicts
The earthquake that devastated the Belice Valley in 1968, in the provinces of Trapani and Agrigento, not only destroyed towns but deeply affected a social fabric that still shows more or less tangible signs today.
The most affected locations were rebuilt in new places considered more stable, with notable consequences on the lives of the inhabitants and on the social fabric of the communities. To fill this emotional and geographical gap, it was decided to opt for a bold and innovative reconstruction model, focusing on art and architecture.
Today, more than 50 years after the earthquake and 40 after the creation of the Cretto di Burri, the evocative land art work, instead of proclamations and good intentions, there remain empty squares, abandoned buildings, blackened concrete and a resilient but increasingly elderly local population and isolated. This project develops among the places that represent the true silent testimony of a tragedy that has forever shaped the destiny of a region.
also from Urbanautica Institute Awards 2024