Some Abandoned Small Towns and their Return to Life with Art

In the second half of Twentieth century in Italy there were numerous abandoned urban centers, due, for example, to emigration, hydrogeological instability, and seismic events. In particular in western Sicily, the earthquake that struck the Belice Valley in 1968, a vast area located between the provinces of Agrigento, Palermo and Trapani, was the cause of numerous losses of human life and significant damage to the countries affected by the earthquake. The most serious damage was recorded in the towns of Gibellina, Montevago, Salaparuta and Poggioreale and therefore it was decided to abandon them and rebuild them in other and even distant sites. The ancient town of Poggioreale is in part still existing and is however abandoned. Therefore, in the essay some suitable interventions of architectural restoration and insertions of works of art are hypothesized in order to make it usable and make it revive. It is hoped that what remains of the abandoned, preserved and recovered countries, even with the addition of new works of art, can acquire a new life, indeed continue their life, but with a different perspective.