Cretto di Burri: The Concrete Labyrinth of Gibellina

On the Italian isle of Sicily , close lxx km from the uppercase metropolis Palermo , is a huge labyrinth of concrete hugging the side of a loma similar an enormous grey-white tortoise shell. The maze of pathways through this concrete slab just corresponds to the street-plan of the old town of Gibellina that in 1 lawsuit stood hither earlier it was destroyed past times an earthquake inwards 1968.

The Belice earthquake that rocked the isle on the nighttime of Jan fourteen as well as xv affected close a dozen towns. Gibellina suffered the most. Unfortunately , relief efforts were equally disastrous equally the earthquake itself as well as thousands remained homeless for years later on the disaster , living inwards temporary prefabricated houses close the ruins of their one-time homes. Eventually , the ravaged towns were abandoned as well as rebuilt inwards novel locations.

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Photo credit: Grand Voyage Italy

Gibellina also was moved to a novel location close xx km away equally the crow flies. Unlike other towns inwards the earthquake devastated Belice valley , novel Gibellina was built alongside extravagance featuring world gardens , large piazzas , post-modern buildings , broad roads as well as numerous plant of gigantic contemporary sculpture created past times Italy’s exceed architects as well as artists. The projection , known equally the “Dream inwards Progress” , was designed to plough Gibellina into a modern opened upwardly air museum.

In 1983 , the mayor of Gibellina invited the internationally renowned creative individual Alberto Burri to catch novel Gibellina. While visiting the ruins of the old town , Burri began to envision a gigantic monument created out of the rubble , which would non solely hold out a plumbing equipment memorial to those who had died but also hold out an artistic link betwixt the old as well as novel towns.

Called “Cretto di Burri” , the monument is a huge slab of concrete roofing the entire expanse of the old town of 29 acres. Nearly v pes of concrete was poured over the town , equally if a hide had been pose over the ruins. It engulfed everything from dead trees , collapsed buildings , as well as broken furniture. While roofing the town alongside concrete , the layout of the master copy town was preserved , leaving the streets equally pathways throughout the concrete.

While Cretto di Burri is an awe-inspiring operate of fine art , merely about people were upset at the agency the history of the old town was obliterated.

“…descendants of people from "old" abandoned Gibellina would guide keep goose egg but an anonymous concrete edifice to commemorate their deceased kin ,” wrote Antonella Gallo on BestofSicily.com , spell it described novel Gibellina equally “an ugly settlement”.

The Thinking Traveller is also sum of disdain , drawing our attending to merely about other town , Poggioreale , that was left inwards its ruined nation as well as how its residents got the ameliorate hit out past times non beingness “cut off from their old life” because the mayor of Poggioreale “evidently had no nifty artistic pretensions.”

Nevertheless , a catch to Cretto di Burri should hold out a fascinating experience.

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