Gibellina nuova, un connubio di opere moderne di architettura e di arte che non può morire / New Gibellina, a combination of modern architecture and art that cannot die

Abstract

When talking about the new Gibellina, without fully understanding the soul of this village and its inhabitants, words are thrown to the wind: «the city of utopia, the failure of the ideal city, the ghost of what it wanted to be, ... ». The earthquake that struck the Belìce Valley on the night between January 14 and 15, 1968, affected the area and its landscape, but also the entire social and economic fabric, destroying not only the architecture. Old Gibellina was among the municipalities involved and then subject to total relocation. Thus, in the search for the genius loci, the history of the gibellinesi is reconstructed by creating a new city to remember their roots, to overcome the peasant origins of the previous settlement, and to bring about a social and cultural rebirth. Many internationally renowned architects and artists redesigned the appearance of the new earthquake-proof city. In the current debate on the restoration of the modern and in light of New Gibellina’s nomination as Italian Capital of Contemporary Art 2026, this reality cannot be overlooked.