In Italy, in the second half of the Twentieth century, there were numerous abandoned urban centers, due, for example, to emigration, hydrogeological instability and seismic events. In Sicily, the countries of Gibellina, Salaparuta, Poggioreale, in the province of Trapani and Montevago, in the province of Agrigento, after the earthquake, of January 1968, which hit the western part of the island, were abandoned and, in the following years, rebuilt, even in distant sites. Certainly the initial attention was paid to the construction of the new cities, while after the damage due to earthquakes, the remains of the ancient countries were left to their slow and inexorable degradation. More recently, in the countries indicated above, there have been several initiatives to promote their knowledge, and the return of interest, especially emotional, towards the ruins of these countries. Mainly the request for valorization and the possibility of visiting these places, as a monument of the mournful event, was mainly expressed by the old inhabitants, who had never cut the thread that united them to their ancient countries. Even the new generations have been attracted by the charm of these places, and in fact there is an increase in tourist flows, which see in the ruins of these places a strong emotional attraction. Ten years after the earthquake of 1968, the former mayor of the new Gibellina, Ludovico Corrao, sensed that contemporary art could represent an extraordinary aid for the valorization of both the new and the destroyed country. For this reason, he not only invited numerous artists to create works in the new Gibellina, but he wished that Alberto Burri would realize the great "cretto" in the old Gibellina. Even today, the "cretto" of Burri, thought as a white sheet spread over the ruins of the town, despite being a contemporary work of art, among the largest and most famous in the world, raises some doubts, but so many emotions. The essay intends to investigate the strategies that can develop the interest for the return of life in abandoned centers, analyzing, in particular, the Poggioreale site. I think that first of all it is necessary to manage the maintenance of the ruins and in some cases also the restoration and re-use of some of the buildings. The ruins must be adequately restored and arranged, constituting the main cultural and evocative value. To increase this value, it is necessary to add works of art to the new dramatic work created by the seismic event. I believe that the remains of abandoned, preserved and settled villages, with the addition of works of art, can acquire a new life, or rather continue their life, but with a different function. In this way new visitors will be joined, attracted by the special countries, the ancient and new culture and beauty, the only one that will help us better live our contemporaneity and think of the future with more optimism.

In Italia, nella seconda metà del Novecento, numerosi furono i centri urbani abbandonati, a causa, ad esempio, dell’emigrazione, dei dissesti idrogeologici e degli eventi sismici. In Sicilia, i paesi di Gibellina, Salaparuta, Poggioreale, nella provincia di Trapani e Montevago, nella provincia di Agrigento, dopo il terremoto, del gennaio 1968, che colpì la parte occidentale dell’Isola, furono abbandonati e, negli anni successivi, ricostruiti, anche in siti distanti. Certamente l’attenzione iniziale fu rivolta alla costruzione delle nuove città, mentre dopo i danni dovuti alle scosse sismiche i resti degli antichi paesi furono lasciati al loro lento ed inesorabile degrado. Più recentemente, nei paesi prima indicati, diverse sono state le iniziative per favorire la loro conoscenza, e il ritorno dell’interesse, soprattutto affettivo, verso le rovine di questi paesi. Principalmente la richiesta di valorizzazione e la possibilità di visitare questi luoghi, come monumento dell’evento luttuoso, fu soprattutto espressa dai vecchi abitanti, che non avevano mai tagliato il filo che li univa ai loro antichi paesi. Anche le nuove generazioni sono attratte dal fascino di questi luoghi, ed infatti si riscontra l’aumento di flussi turistici, che vedono nelle rovine una forte attrattiva emozionale. A dieci anni del terremoto del 1968, l’allora sindaco della nuova Gibellina, Ludovico Corrao, intuì che l’arte contemporanea poteva rappresentare uno straordinario aiuto per valorizzare sia il nuovo che il distrutto paese. Per questo, non solo invitò numerosi artisti a creare opere nella nuova Gibellina, ma desiderò che Alberto Burri realizzasse il grande “cretto” nella vecchia Gibellina. Ancora oggi, il “cretto” di Burri, pensato come un lenzuolo bianco steso sulle rovine del paese, pur essendo un opera d’arte contemporanea, fra le più vaste e famose del mondo, suscita, alcune perplessità, ma tante emozioni. Il saggio intende indagare le strategie che possono sviluppare l’interesse per il ritorno della vita nei centri abbandonati, analizzando, in particolare, il sito di Poggioreale. Si pensa che innanzi tutto occorre gestire il mantenimento delle rovine e in alcuni casi anche il restauro e il riuso di alcuni degli edifici. Le rovine vanno adeguatamente restaurate e sistemate, costituendo il principale valore culturale ed evocativo. Per incrementare detto valore occorre aggiungere opere d’arte alla nuova drammatica opera creata dall’evento sismico. Si ritiene che i resti dei paesi abbandonati, conservati e sistemati, con l’aggiunta delle opere d’arte possono acquisire una nuova vita, anzi continuare la loro vita, ma con una diversa funzione. In questo modo si uniranno nuovi visitatori, attratti dagli speciali paesi, dall’antica e nuova cultura e bellezza, la sola che ci aiuterà a meglio vivere la nostra contemporaneità e pensare al futuro con più ottimismo.

Scaduto, R. (2018). Paesi abbandonati e il ritorno della vita con l'arte. In Un paese ci vuole Studi e prospettive per i centri abbandonati e in via di spopolamento _ "One needs town". Studies and prospectives for abandoned or depopulated small towns ABSTRACT (pp.228-229). Rubbettino print.

Paesi abbandonati e il ritorno della vita con l'arte

Scaduto, Rosario
2018-01-01

Abstract

In Italy, in the second half of the Twentieth century, there were numerous abandoned urban centers, due, for example, to emigration, hydrogeological instability and seismic events. In Sicily, the countries of Gibellina, Salaparuta, Poggioreale, in the province of Trapani and Montevago, in the province of Agrigento, after the earthquake, of January 1968, which hit the western part of the island, were abandoned and, in the following years, rebuilt, even in distant sites. Certainly the initial attention was paid to the construction of the new cities, while after the damage due to earthquakes, the remains of the ancient countries were left to their slow and inexorable degradation. More recently, in the countries indicated above, there have been several initiatives to promote their knowledge, and the return of interest, especially emotional, towards the ruins of these countries. Mainly the request for valorization and the possibility of visiting these places, as a monument of the mournful event, was mainly expressed by the old inhabitants, who had never cut the thread that united them to their ancient countries. Even the new generations have been attracted by the charm of these places, and in fact there is an increase in tourist flows, which see in the ruins of these places a strong emotional attraction. Ten years after the earthquake of 1968, the former mayor of the new Gibellina, Ludovico Corrao, sensed that contemporary art could represent an extraordinary aid for the valorization of both the new and the destroyed country. For this reason, he not only invited numerous artists to create works in the new Gibellina, but he wished that Alberto Burri would realize the great "cretto" in the old Gibellina. Even today, the "cretto" of Burri, thought as a white sheet spread over the ruins of the town, despite being a contemporary work of art, among the largest and most famous in the world, raises some doubts, but so many emotions. The essay intends to investigate the strategies that can develop the interest for the return of life in abandoned centers, analyzing, in particular, the Poggioreale site. I think that first of all it is necessary to manage the maintenance of the ruins and in some cases also the restoration and re-use of some of the buildings. The ruins must be adequately restored and arranged, constituting the main cultural and evocative value. To increase this value, it is necessary to add works of art to the new dramatic work created by the seismic event. I believe that the remains of abandoned, preserved and settled villages, with the addition of works of art, can acquire a new life, or rather continue their life, but with a different function. In this way new visitors will be joined, attracted by the special countries, the ancient and new culture and beauty, the only one that will help us better live our contemporaneity and think of the future with more optimism.
7-nov-2018
"Un paese ci vuole". Studi e prospettive per i centri abbandonati e in via di spopolamento - "One needs town". Studies and prospectives for abandoned or depopulated small towns
Reggio Calabria
7-9 novembre
apr-2018
2018
2
A stampa
Il breve saggio: "Paesi abbandonati e il ritorno con l'arte" costituisce l'abstract del saggio che verrà pubblicato negli atti del convegno internazionale tenutosi a Reggio Calabria dal 7 al 9 novembre del 2018, e intitolato: "Un paese ci vuole" Studi e prospettive per i centri abbandonati e in via di spopolamento - "One needs a town". Studies and prospectives for abandoned or depopulated small tows
Scaduto, R. (2018). Paesi abbandonati e il ritorno della vita con l'arte. In Un paese ci vuole Studi e prospettive per i centri abbandonati e in via di spopolamento _ "One needs town". Studies and prospectives for abandoned or depopulated small towns ABSTRACT (pp.228-229). Rubbettino print.
Proceedings (atti dei congressi)
Scaduto, Rosario
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10447/309948
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