Città e Territori - tra cancellazione e reinvenzione
3rd Jun, 2015
Conference at L'Auditorium del Parco in L'Aquila on 28th May 2015
The day of lectures and discussions was based on the recent publication of the book Avezzano, la Marsica e il Circondario a cento anni dal sisma del 1915. The book is a collection of articles about the 1915 Marsica earthquake (7.0 on the Richter scale) which razed the town of Avezzano, and caused wide spread damage in the surrounding villages. Alongside the conference, this publication aims to reflect on the issue of total destruction and subsequent reinvention of the identity of a place. On the centenary of the 1915 earthquake, the conference discussed that what happened previously is still happening, in L'Aquila and beyond.
A series of lectures, by contributors to the book, covered issues ranging from the pre-earthquake character of Avezzano and it's subsequent urban transformation, to specific damage to iconic monuments and structures. Of particular interest to me was the lecture given by Carla Bartolomucci, who discussed the effects of the 1915 earthquake in L'Aquila. I was unaware before this conference that the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio - one of L'Aquila's most important structures - partially collapsed. It was rebuilt with an internal frame of reinforced concrete and the famous pink and white stone facade was meticulously reassembled; this is one of the reasons why this 13th century facade survived the more recent earthquake. In general, the effect of the 1915 earthquake upon L'Aquila's centro storico was minor - there was wide-spread but not very serious damage.
The discussion following the series of lectures focused on the similarities and differences between the 1915 disaster and the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake. Emanuela Guidoboni (from the Centro EEDIS - centre for extreme events and disasters) talked about the 'idea' of the city, and that post-disaster rebuilding is not just about walls and houses, but the idea of the place.
The book is a series of essays collated by Simonetta Ciranna and Patrizia Montuori, edited by the Regional Council of Abruzzo.