Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Italy Gibellina Vecchia Cretto di Burri

Cretto di Burri

Leveled by an earthquake, this Italian village is now preserved as a massive concrete art project.

Gibellina Vecchia, Italy

Added By
Francesco Salerno
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Cretto di Gibellina   Francesco Salerno (The F)
Cretto di Gibellina   Francesco Salerno (The F)
Cretto di Gibellina   Francesco Salerno (The F)
Cretto di Gibellina   Francesco Salerno (The F)
Cretto di Gibellina   Francesco Salerno (The F)
2020-10-09   prakva / Atlas Obscura User
Approaching Gibellina   claus donau / Atlas Obscura User
Gibellina_another green   claus donau / Atlas Obscura User
Gibellina_some green   claus donau / Atlas Obscura User
  prakva / Atlas Obscura User
  prakva / Atlas Obscura User
Gibellina_all white   claus donau / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

On the night of January 14, 1968 a terrible earthquake shook the Valle del Belice area in Sicily, destroying several towns and claiming 1,150 victims.

One of these towns, Gibellina, was completely erased and rebuilt several years later at a nearby location. The site of the village ruins, however, was given over to artist Alberto Burri who turned the disaster area into a permanent memorial known as the Cretto di Burri. Burri covered the footprints of the destroyed buildings with concrete creating an angular, industrial reminder of the village's original layout. Building rubble, furniture pieces, utensils, and toys are also left underneath the cretto's cement. Most affecting of all is the deep, eerie silence which surrounds visitors as they walk the "streets" of Cretto di Burri,  leaving nothing but reflection over the destruction and the misery of that 1968 night.

Related Tags

Monuments Earthquakes Disaster Areas
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Flavors of Italy: Roman Carbonara, Florentine Steak & Venetian Cocktails

Savor local cuisine across Rome, Florence & Venice.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

The F

Edited By

Martin, claus donau, prakva

  • Martin
  • claus donau
  • prakva

Published

September 11, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.palinsesti.org/2006/grande-cretto
  • http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretto_di_Burri
Cretto di Burri
Gibellina Vecchia, 91024
Italy
37.788173, 12.971447

Nearby Places

Temple of Segesta

Calatafimi, Italy

miles away

Borgo Schiro

Monreale, Italy

miles away

Borgo Amerigo Fazio

Trapani, Italy

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Italy

Italy

Europe

Places 1,064
Stories 111

Nearby Places

Temple of Segesta

Calatafimi, Italy

miles away

Borgo Schiro

Monreale, Italy

miles away

Borgo Amerigo Fazio

Trapani, Italy

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Italy

Italy

Europe

Places 1,064
Stories 111

Related Places

  • The ‘We Honor a Hero’ memorial in Tacoma, Washington

    Tacoma, Washington

    'We Honor a Hero' Memorial

    This statue honors Marvin Klegman, a heroic child who died while saving another boy's life in a 1949 earthquake, and shares his long untold story.

  • Mexico City, Mexico

    Monumento a la Costurera (Monument to the Seamstress)

    This memorial was raised in honor of a group of workers heavily impacted by the 1985 Mexico City earthquake.

  • The angel backdropped by a sea of stars.

    Chornobyl, Ukraine

    'Monument of the Third Angel'

    The biblical sculpture honors those who lost their lives, homes and communities to the Chernobyl disaster.

  • The Tower

    Concepción, Chile

    Bismarck Tower

    Dedicated to the first German Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, this aging edifice is the only one of its kind in the Americas.

  • Explosives found at the scene.

    Bath Township, Michigan

    Bath School Massacre Memorial

    A park and memorial dedicated to the victims of the deadliest school massacre in American history.

  • Cameron, Montana

    Earthquake Lake

    An apocalyptic seismic event creates a deadly chain reaction that ends with a 6-mile long lake developing within weeks.

  • Saint-Pierre, Martinique

    The Prison Cell of Ludger Sylbaris

    The cell which saved the life of Ludger Sylbaris, "the man who lived through Doomsday."

  • N'Guigmi, Niger

    UTA Flight 772 Memorial

    The world's most remote memorial to the victims of the UTA Flight 772 disaster.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.