Cretto di Burri - Gibellina Vecchia (TP) - Belice Valley - Sicily
- Tuttitaly
- 3 hours ago
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The Cretto di Gibellina, originally titled Grande Cretto, is a work of Land art created by Alberto Burri, where the old city of Gibellina once stood between 1984 and 1989. An expanse of 80 thousand square meters of white concrete and debris tells the story of a town that disappeared from geographical maps. The historic center of Gibellina Vecchia was destroyed by the earthquake of 15 January 1968, causing 1150 victims, 98,000 homeless people, and six villages destroyed in the Belice valley... #tuttitaly
Cretto di Burri - Gibellina Vecchia (TP) - Belice Valley - Sicily
Environmental art finds a sublime expression in the Cretto di Burri in Gibellina, a majestic monument symbolizing rebirth and preserving the historical memory of a tragedy.
A destroyed city, redemption through art
In 1968, the Belice earthquake devastated the city of Gibellina, leaving it in ruins and its population homeless. Mayor Ludovico Corrao saw the possibility of social redemption for the community in art.
Thus, the idea of creating a monument to perpetuate the destroyed city's memory arose.
The genius of Alberto Burri and the creation of the Cretto
Alberto Burri, a renowned Italian artist, designed an imposing work that reconstructed the streets and corners of old Gibellina. Using the rubble of buildings as foundations, cement blocks were overlapped and intertwined to create a labyrinth of fractures on the earth. Each fissure, two to three meters wide, encapsulates the pain and memory of the experienced tragedy.
A work of gigantic dimensions and impressive beauty
Extending over approximately 80,000 square meters, the Cretto di Burri is one of the world's most significant contemporary art pieces. Visitable along the state road 119 of Gibellina, the work was partially constructed between 1985 and 1989 and completed only in 2015 during Burri's centenary.
Conservation and debate on the work
The completion of the Cretto has sparked debates and questions regarding its preservation and restoration.
Nevertheless, it remains a powerful testimony to human resilience and the art's ability to transform tragedy into beauty, preserve a community's historical memory, and celebrate rebirth from a past of destruction.
The Cretto di Burri in Gibellina is more than a concrete monument; it symbolizes hope, memory, and rebirth, a work that leaves an indelible mark on the heart of anyone fortunate enough to contemplate it.
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Cretto di Burri - Gibellina Vecchia (TP) - Belice Valley - Sicily
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