L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 10 L'Italo-Americano I t ' s b e e n s i x y e a r s since the devastat- ing earthquakes that tore through central Italy, causing death, destruction and pain. Peo- ple lost their homes, their l o v e d o n e s a n d , i n m a n y cases, their livelihood; they lost their community, their s o c i a l n e t w o r k a n d t h e i r familial heritage. Perhaps nothing comes as close to the idea of total, complete loss as much as what the p e o p l e o f A m a t r i c e , o f Norcia, of Castelluccio experienced in those dra- matic hours. And perhaps nothing symbolizes it better than the stark, heartbreak- ing image of the Basilica di San Benedetto's façade after the earthquake, a lone wall with emptiness behind, where just a handful of min- utes before history, spiritu- ality and devotion had filled the space with beauty. A lone wall and rubbles. Nothing more. Many Ital- ians, when looking at that image, felt lost. they felt a pang in the heart and a bur- den on the soul because that p i c t u r e e n c a p s u l a t e d t h e tragedy of our fellow coun- trymen and women, their sorrow, but it also repre- sented a devastating loss for o u r a r t i s t i c p a t r i m o n y , something which belongs to each and every one of us, as I t a l i a n s . I t ' s o u r s , i t ' s weaved into every fiber of our being, or so it should be. When reading it this way, it isn't surprising that the renaissance of the Basili- c a d i S a n B e n e d e t t o h a s b e c o m e t h e e p i t o m e a n d s y m b o l o f t h e c i t y ' s o w n r e n a i s s a n c e , a n o d e t o resilience, a phoenix rising, a tribute to life and eternity. Emanuela D'Abbraccio, a conservator who has been working on the Basilica's reconstruction, said it well to La Repubblica, when dis- cussing her work: "Recover- ing these stones makes me realize that life can take a lot away from us, but that it can also give it back. It's almost like a resurrection." D'Abbraccio has been work- ing on the Basilica's restora- tion for a year and feels that i t s c o l l a p s e w a s a n e n o r - mous shock for the people o f N o r c i a , b e c a u s e t h e church is an "integrant part of our social fabric," and its l o s s w a s b e w i l d e r i n g f o r locals. But, these days, the Basil- ica is alive, filled with peo- p l e a t w o r k : t r u l y l i k e a p h o e n i x , i t ' s b e e n r i s i n g from its ashes. Restoration a n d r e b u i l d i n g b e g a n i n December 2021 and should be completed by the end of 2025, although experts say we need to be patient: while it is nice to have a date to look forward to, it may take longer because of the exten- sive damage the earthquake caused and the painstaking work of recognition and cat- a l o g i n g o f s t o n e s a n d masonry emerging from the rubble, which will then be u s e d t o r e c o n s t r u c t t h e building. T h e p r o c e s s i s d i v i d e d into two phases, the first, w h i c h i s u n d e r g o i n g a n d w i l l l a s t f o r a t o t a l o f 3 0 months, will focus on the recovery of the architectural structure and is supervised by the Ministero della Cul- t u r a ( M i C ) . T h e s e c o n d phase, sponsored by Eni, one of Italy's most impor- tant energy companies, will take care of the restoration of all surviving artifacts and decorations: this part of the p r o j e c t s h o u l d l a s t 2 4 months. D'Abbraccio, who is currently involved in the r e c o v e r y o f a l l r e l e v a n t architectural and masonry e l e m e n t s n e c e s s a r y t o rebuild the Basilica, says it isn't an easy task, because many of these elements "are i n p i e c e s a n d w e n e e d t o look for each section in dif- f e r e n t p a l l e t s , s e l e c t i n g t h e m b a s e d o n s p e c i f i c typologies: from pedestals to capitals. And then, there is the huge variety of mate- rials that have been used in building and rebuilding the Basilica through the cen- t u r i e s , a f t e r o t h e r e a r t h - quakes." D'Abbraccio said that more than 4,800 pieces have been cataloged so far, s o m e o f w h i c h b e l o n g t o older versions of the church. There is still a lot to do, y e s , b u t s o m e i m p o r t a n t m i l e s t o n e s h a v e b e e n reached already: the ancient crypt, for instance, has been fully restored, and a special covering has been put into place so that work can go on also in bad weather. The project in its entirety will cost about 12 million USD, and it has been car- r i e d o u t w i t h a t r i p a r t i t e focus: using original materi- al for reconstruction, saving and reinforcing the parts of the structure that survived the earthquake and ensur- ing the new portions of the building are safe and strong so that they can potentially withstand the fury of anoth- er one. From an aesthetic and artistic point of view, it has been decided to remain faithful to the way the Basil- i c a l o o k e d b e f o r e i t s c o l - lapse, that is, to the look it gained in the 18th century. It has also been decided that a l l o r i g i n a l f r e s c o e s a n d plasterwork that survived - we are talking about only 10% of the whole construc- tion - will be integrated into the new structure but will be still recognizable as inde- pendent from its restored portions. These will be con- structed following designs and using materials compat- ible with the originals. All f i g u r a t i v e e l e m e n t s t h a t were destroyed by the earth- quake, from statues to high- reliefs, will be recreated in a s i m p l i f i e d s t y l e , t o a v o i d s h e e r i m i t a t i o n o f t h e baroque details we've lost. E s s e n t i a l i s , o f c o u r s e , making sure that the "new" Basilica is strong and can w i t h s t a n d o t h e r e a r t h - quakes, should they happen. For this reason, some parts of the building that are par- ticularly important for its stability - arches, ribbing and the belfry, for instance - w i l l b e b u i l t w i t h b r i c k s , which are lighter and more resilient than stone in case of a seismic event. For all other areas, recovered origi- nal stones will be used. The part of the old church that remained standing will be reinforced and secured. A n d s o , i n a s l i t t l e a s three years, the Basilica di San Benedetto - who, inci- dentally, is the patron Saint o f E u r o p e - m a y o p e n i t s doors again, welcoming its people, as it has been doing f o r c e n t u r i e s . I t i s n ' t t h e f i r s t t i m e t h i s b e a u t i f u l phoenix resurrects from its ashes and, just like every other time, its renaissance b r i n g s a b o u t t h a t o f t h e community it represents. San Benedetto's Basilica and the renaissance of Norcia CHIARA D'ALESSIO Left: The Basilica di San Benedetto before the 2016 earthquake (Photo: Claudio Giovanni Colombo/Dreamstime); right: many historical buildings have been severely damaged by the quake in Norcia (Photo: Alessandramariottipsi/Dreamstime) ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES

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