La Città Abbandonata

Exploration of the centro storico of L'Aquila, 7th June 2015

The main street was extremely busy - this being a very warm Sunday - and all the bars were open, as well as some market stalls. However, moving even one or two streets away from Via Corso gave me the sense, once again, I had travelled to a post-apocalyptic town; entering the houses only strengthened this perception. One house was 'preserved' in its post-earthquake condition almost in tact, as if the disaster had happened only yesterday. Exact details of the life of the family who lived in this house before the earthquake still remained, such as photos on the wall, magazines on the coffee table, and remnants of food in the fridge.

I found the abandoned University building particularly fascinating. This place gave a sense of both pre- and post-earthquake activity. A number of rooms remained in tact, particularly admin rooms with the majority of furniture in place and only the scars in the walls and the scattered papers and books on the floor to give away the impact of the 'quake. Other areas were heavily reinforced with scaffolding bars, and all other sorts of supports to make the structure secure; but there was no sign of reconstruction activity, only shoring up. And then there were the small signs of post-earthquake life. Clearly, animals have lived in this building (I suspect mainly stray dogs, of which there are many in L'Aquila). In the main courtyard of the old University there was an old bonfire scattered with beer bottles. Graffiti marked a number of walls, alongside old posters advertising University lectures and activities. A corner of one room featured a graffiti advertisement for the production of a play there, alongside a cleared space which might have been used as a stage. Again, this was scattered with wine and beer bottles.

I found it striking to see the number of uses to which these buildings have been put post-earthquake. Of course, they are predominantly either abandoned or under reconstruction; a large number have been highly secured whilst they await reconstruction, to prevent further damage and littering. In fact, litter seems to be one of the biggest issues with any open buildings - rooms were full of construction rubbish, general waste, alcohol bottles, and the smell of urine - particularly those closest to the main streets. But there were also more positive uses, such as evidence of public 'parks' in old courtyards, and the make-shift theatre. Perhaps if these ventures were less half-hearted and vandalistic they might become useful social spaces as a way of engaging the public with abandoned structures as they await re-use.