Demolition

Demolition in L'Aquila, 23-24 June

The general attitude to the reconstruction in L'Aquila is that buildings will be restored and rebuilt where possible; even where the post-earthquake damage is very severe, great efforts are made towards reconstruction which extends to the majority of the built fabric in the historic centre. The most extreme case I have seen of these rebuilding efforts within extremely damaged fabric is at the Chiesa di Santa Maria Paganica. I was therefore very surprised to see a building being demolished in the centre of the city, quite close to the old Theatre. A large housing block was demolished over a period of two days, and it created a lot of public interest.