Gibellina

Gibellina is a sicilian city of 4 880 inhabitants, located in the Province of Trapani, to 63 km in the south-east of Trapani, 227 meter from altitude. Gibellina is very known for its contemporary architecture.

History of Gibellina: of Gibellina Vecchia in Gibellina Nuova

Gibellina Vecchia and the earthquake of 1968

Gibellina, of the Arab جَبَل = Gebel (mountain) and Zghir (small) was founded on five hills towards 300 av. J. - C.. The village develops at the 15th century like agricultural village around the castle built at the 14th century by Manfredi Chiaramonte.

The old city was completely shaven following the earthquake of 1968. The earthquake day before of 1968, Gibellina counted 6 930 inhabitants.

Occurred in the night from January 14th to 15th 1968, the tremor which shook all the valley of Belice (the zone ranging between the provinces of Palermo, Agrigente and Trapani) touched fourteen cities and entirely destroyed the towns of Gibellina, Poggioreale, Salaparuta and Montevago.

It made more than four hundred victims, thousand wounded and more than one hundred thousand homeless people, and moved Italy much. The song Addio Gibellina of Leonardo Cangelosi (1977) date of January 1968.

Since, the site of the old city was given up by the inhabitants and is entirely dedicated today to the victims. Work was entrusted to Alberto Burri, which builds the Grande Cretto between 1985 and 1989.

It is about a monumental example of Land art , realized starting from blocks of cement. It is presented in the form of an immense cap ( coltre ) of white cement which is spread out over the south-eastern southern side of the mountain according to the form of an irregular quadrilateral of a few 300 meters out of 400.

In cement great trenches were traced, 1,60 2 and depth meters to 3 meters of width, making it possible to the visitors to circulate. They follow the layout of the streets of the old city, and make it possible to restore the idea of the city before the earthquake.

Gibellina Nuova

The new city was rebuilt to 18 km of old, and the contemporary architecture points out the earthquake. At the entry of the city, a large door in the shape of flower is called “Star of Belice”. Many contemporary sculptures are disseminated through all the city.

The architecture and monuments of Gibellina

Gibellina Nuova is a museum city, strewn with very contemporary monuments, which give to this common Sicilian a strange and strange character.

The symbol of Gibellina is its immense star at the entry of the city, the star of Pietro Consagra or star of the Belice ( Stella del Belice ). It is about a stainless steel work hautre of 24 meters, which symbolizes the entry of Belice, the area of Gibellina.

Inside the city, the works of art meet with each corner of street.

The Meeting

The Meeting is the sculpture-monument realized by Pietro Consagra, which is used today as bar in Gibellina. The building is

It sistema delle piazze

The system of the places ( sistema delle piazze ) indicates five places of Gibellina, conceived by Franco Purini and Laura Thermes:

the Piazza Rivolta LED 26 giugno 1937 (the Place of the revolt of June 26th, 1937);
the Piazza Fasci dei Lavoratori ;
the Piazza Monti di Gibellina ;
the Piazza Autonomia Siciliana ;
the delle Piazza Passo Portella Ginestre .

These places are built according to a linear plan bordered of side gantries to double height, whose monotony and rigor are broken by the presence of structures characteristic of the daily use of public space.

The box di Stefano

The box di Stefano (“Houses of Stefano”) shelter today a museum of contemporary art and a section dedicated to country civilization. They were built starting from the single building present on the site of the news Gibellina, an old strengthened farm ( baglio ), rebuilt in 1995 according to a project of 1982 according to the old plans. The project executors are Marcella Aprile, Roberto Collovà, Teresa Rocca, Ettore Tocco, Valentina Acierno, Alessandro D' Amico, Stefano Marina, L. Raspanti and Lorenzo Salon.

Montagna dei cavalli

The Montagna dei cavalli (the “Mountain of the horses”) is located all against the Case di Stefano . The monument, an immense concrete mountain in which black lead life size horses are taken, was built for a stage performance organized by Orestiadi. It remained since one of the monuments symbols of the town of Gibellina.

The place of the town hall and Torre dell' orologio

The place of the town hall, located below the Church, is surrounded by gantries produced by Vittorio Gregotti and Giuseppe Samonà; inside those, are the ceramics frescos decorated by Carla Accardi and the Carrisceni with Arnaldo Pomodoro. In edge of place, draw up the white metal sculptures of the Città di Tebe of Pietro Consagra, the sculpture out of travertine città LED plate of Mimmo Rotella and the tower of Alessandro Mendini.

Realized in 1988 by the architect Alessandro Mendini, the tower of the clock of Gibellina ( Torre dell' orologio ) occupies the place of the town hall ( Piazza del Municipio ). High of ten meters (precise height??), the tower of Mendini ( Torre di Mendini ) is made of two halves of concrete cone, from which two leave " ailes" multicoloured. Four times per day approximately, escape from the clock a concert of voice, to point out the people died at the time of the earthquake.

Veined Chiesa

The Veined Chiesa (l'" Church-mère") is certainly the monument emblématique of the rupture sought at the architectural level. It is located at the center of the city, at the top of a small hill. It is built according to a square plan of 50 side meters approximately, on which a large white sphere inspired of Arab architecture is posed. Fifteen years were passed between the project (1972) and its realization (1986). In August 1994, part of the building crumbles, leaving the church, still today, with open sky.

The project executors are Ludovico Quaroni, Luisa Anversa, Sergio Musmeci, Giangiacomo D' Ardia and Livio Quaroni.

Administration

Hamlets

Communes bordering

Calatafimi-Segesta, Monreale (Pa), Poggioreale, Salaparuta, Santa Ninfa

External bonds

photographs with accompanying notes and plan of Gibellina
documentation on the architecture and the architects of Gibellina
a walk through the city

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