ABOUT THE EVENT
Experts in many disciplines—some working in L'Aquila since 2009’s catastrophic earthquake, and some involved with other post-disaster scenarios—will discuss the current state of L'Aquila: the damaged and restored cultural heritage, the gradual revival of urban life, and the city's new association with post-disaster aesthetics and construction sites.
What does it mean to “rebuild” a city after a natural disaster? Restoring housing and monuments seems to be the obvious answer; but what are the methods and techniques for recovering heritage without losing its memory? The recovery of the social system is even more complex.
How can we reconcile two needs: ensuring safety while not losing the memory of ancient building techniques?
Moreover, how can we overcome the fracture in a community’s history and the disruption of its past memories, planned future, and tangible and intangible cultural heritage?
What can we learn from recent cases, and how can we improve prevention and future interventions?
This symposium will foster a multidisciplinary dialogue on the current state of L'Aquila, which is still being reconstructed after the 2009 quake. The anastylosis of monuments and the recovery of historical and artistic heritage to date allow us to reflect on the safety of historic buildings, restoration methodologies, and retrofitting interventions at various scales. Meanwhile, much has changed in the social and productive fabric of the city during the long years of post-earthquake standstill and then during the slow reconstruction.
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Organizers:
Barbara Faedda, Executive Director, Italian Academy, Columbia University
Gianmarco de Felice, Roma Tre University; Weinberg Fellow in 2020 at Columbia's Italian Academy
Elisabetta Scirocco, Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History
Moderators:
Gianmarco de Felice, Engineering, Roma Tre University; former Weinberg Fellow, Italian Academy
Tanja Michalsky, Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History; Fellow in 2018 at Columbia's Italian Academy
PROGRAM
2:00 PM
Opening Remarks: Barbara Faedda, Executive Director, Italian Academy, Columbia University
Session 1: Cultural Heritage, Memory, and Community
Chair: Tanja Michalsky, Art History, Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History; former Fellow, Italian Academy
Alessandra Vittorini, Architecture and Conservation, formerly Superintendency for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for L’Aquila
“Rebuilding stones and communities. Recovery of cultural heritage after the 2009 earthquake in L’Aquila”
Elisabetta Scirocco, Art History, Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History & Antonio Di Cecco, Photography, Academy of Fine Arts of L’Aquila
“The shape of L’Aquila. Memories in transformation 2009-2026”
Monica Musolino, Sociology, University of Messina
“Post-disaster communities. Change and resistance in some cases of relocation from Italy”
3:50 PM
Session 2: Preservation, Safety, and Reconstruction
Chair: Gianmarco de Felice, Engineering, Roma Tre University; former Weinberg Fellow, Italian Academy
Eva Coïsson, Engineering, University of Parma
“Restoration in earthquake-prone regions: learning from the past”
John Ochsendorf, Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Alper Ilki, Engineering, Istanbul Technical University
"Post-earthquake damage assessment and recovery of historic urban heritage after the February 6, 2023, Turkiye earthquakes"
5:40 PM
Session 3: Regulations and Scientific Research
Chair: Gianmarco de Felice, Engineering, Roma Tre University; former Weinberg Fellow, Italian Academy
Eugenio Coccia, Physics, Gran Sasso Science Institute
"The role of an advanced studies center in the post-earthquake regeneration of L'Aquila"
Elena Aprile, Physics, Columbia University; Director, Italian Academy
“The impact of the earthquake on the XENON experiment at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory”
6:45 PM
Concluding Remarks: Barbara Faedda, Executive Director, Italian Academy, Columbia University
THE DAY CONCLUDES WITH AN OPENING RECEPTION OF THE EXHIBITION "L’AQUILA, MEMORIES IN TRANSFORMATION 2009-2025" Curated by Antonio Di Cecco and Elisabetta Scirocco
Co-sponsor: Sidney J. Weinberg Jr. Foundation
Under the aegis of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) / Consiglio Nazionale Italiano dei Monumenti e dei Siti
This event marks the 10th anniversary of the Italian Academy’s International Observatory for Cultural Heritage.
Registration does not guarantee a seat; registrants are seated first-come, first served.
This event is in-person only.
Image: Photograph by Antonio Di Cecco of the current urban landscape of L'Aquila: some buildings restored and some waiting, while construction fences invade the public space of a piazza and cars block the view.
