Exploring Sicily: The Emotional Journey Through the Cretto di Burri

Hello beautiful friends,

Today, finally finding a bit of time to write, I would like to talk to you about some places in my region, Sicily, that many of you may not know. Even looking at the tourism data, I have to say that Sicily, although chosen for its beautiful sea, doesn't boast impressive numbers compared to other Italian regions. In my opinion, this is because certain places are not highly valued, and there's also something artistic to discover.

One of the places that has always fascinated me, since I was a child when I used to come here with my grandfather, who was a great art enthusiast, is the Cretto di Burri, an environmental artwork created by Alberto Burri, in the province of Trapani, precisely in a location called Gibellina.

My grandfather particularly enjoyed walking inside this artwork. But honestly, since I was a child, I never understood the meaning of why it was created exactly in that place. In fact, when he took me there, we would walk in silence inside this artwork. It was only growing up, becoming older, and also becoming passionate about art myself, that I understood that this thing is unfortunately linked to something bad that hit Sicily in 1968, namely a bad earthquake that completely destroyed the city of old Gibellina. So, the mayor of the time wanted to involve the artist Burri to give birth to a work of rebirth for the entire area after this disastrous earthquake. But at the same time, this work, as you can see from the photos I shared here, reminds us what nature can create, the power of nature that can sweep us all away in an instant.

The Cretto extends over an area of ​​about 270 meters by 350 meters more or less, made of huge blocks of cement, and this place arose right on the rubble. In fact, I later discovered that these cement blocks were created with the rubble of the village that collapsed because of the earthquake.

Probably my grandfather was very attached to this place because he knew many people from this village who unfortunately lost their lives here, and walking through these streets amidst these blocks, for him, was a bit like walking through the streets of the village that had been destroyed.

I must say that every time I come to this place, it's always a very emotional experience, which actually also creates very conflicting emotions.

I forgot to tell you that this work was created in about five years between 1984 and 1989, and it must have not only artistic value but also a great value of remembrance and memory for what happened in this land.

I hope you found my story interesting. I was very happy to share with you this experience that has always touched me deeply in my emotions, and I hope that if you come to Sicily, you have the opportunity to visit this place!

Goodbye everyone