Abstract
Destructive earthquakes leave traces not only on the physical landscape but also on human processes. Among the most devastating consequences is the abandoning of towns and villages, in favour of locations deemed safer. Abandoning a village and resettling in a new location, whether a gradual process or the result of a sudden traumatic situation, is an event of great historical, cultural and anthropological impact. It entails the loss of a piece of history or culture – local identity – and the more suddenly it happens, the more dramatic the after-effects. Italy has almost two hundred localities that have been abandoned for different causes (landslides, floods, volcanic eruptions, but also social or environmental reasons), some ninety of them owing to earthquakes. Sicily, a land of volcanoes and earthquakes, has several traces of former villages either in the form of fairly substantial ruins or even half-destroyed, which are usually located a few kilometres away from the new settlements. In this paper, we present the methodological approach developed in the framework of the EDURISK Project to enhance the awareness of seismic risk as an element of daily life; the case-study of the Valle del Belice after the 1968 earthquakes represents the richness and complexity of this approach well. Following this rationale, in 2006, we published the first multimedia product devoted to Sicily based on the tools available at that time: a DVD-Rom hosting the interactive Quick TimeTM Virtual Reality format. Today, multimedia technology is much more advanced and web- oriented, but the methodological approach is still valid.
Highlights
Destructive earthquakes leave deep scars on the territory, both on the physical landscape and on society
Two very apparent spots of deserted localities appear at the extremities of the peninsula: the first in north-west Italy at the border with France, where the abandonment was caused by the M6.3 1887 earthquake; the second in Western Sicily as a consequence of the 1968 Valle del Belìce earthquakes
Considering the rich bibliography available on the 1693-1783-1968 earthquakes, as well as the technical literature dealing with seismic risk issues in Sicily, we had to simplify the geophysical contents in order to provide only the key elements, enabling the user to gain an awareness of the seismic history of their own territory and the areas most exposed to risk
Summary
Destructive earthquakes leave deep scars on the territory, both on the physical landscape (e.g. large landslides) and on society. Better than any other evidence, they show the impact of a seismic event on the life of a community For this reason, their rediscovery is a unique opportunity from a cultural standpoint to enhance the awareness of seismic risk as an element of daily life [Bitelli et al, 2000a]. Their rediscovery is a unique opportunity from a cultural standpoint to enhance the awareness of seismic risk as an element of daily life [Bitelli et al, 2000a] This rationale has been developed in the framework of the EDURISK Project (Earthquake eDUcation: an investigative journey into seismic RISK reduction, www.edurisk.it), funded since 2002 by the Italian Civil Protection Department [Camassi et al, 2005; Pessina and Camassi, 2012]. The criteria and methodological approach applied in this work are described in detail together with some cultural aspects resulting from the critical reading of the materials
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
