March 2010

Explore the Apollo archive

Look back over two vibrant years of Apollo: browse every issue from January 2006 to the present day.

Following initial reports of April's earthquake in the Abruzzo region of Italy, very little news of the region's progress has been reported overseas. Here we bring you the latest news from our contributor Andrew Hopkins, who teaches at the university in the devastated city of L'Aquila.

It was the Faculty of Arts that was hit hardest when the earthquake struck L’Aquila on 6 April. Following a long-standing policy in cultural politics here in Italy, the plethora of disused monumental buildings that each town abounds in were given over to the Universities to use. While Engineering, Medicine and Biotechnology had customised buildings erected outside the city centre to accommodate their laboratories, we were housed in three 18th-century palaces erected after the major quake of 1703 that destroyed so much of the city. Half of poor old palazzo Porcinari has collapsed: my office is still standing but none of us have been able to enter the building or the city as it remains closed off and under military command. Living in Rome during the week and in the Tuscia at weekends I wasn’t materially affected by the disaster, but numerous colleagues have lost their homes, including the rector of the University.

We have been holding degree sessions and exams in tents set up by the Civil Protection in the fields around the Faculty of Medicine on the outskirts of town, which has been fine for these couple of months, but everyone has been dreading the onset of summer and the uncertainty over the next academic year. Fortunately, on 28 June the Faculty of Arts was apportioned the three building complex of L’Aquila’s ex Juvenile correction facility. This rather ironic choice of course reflects our need for classrooms and offices even if our students may feel they have been much freer in these few months out in the open. Although these spaces are far from cheerful they are more than adequate for the next few years while we get back on our feet and have the advantage that they are just below the Castello and within walking distance of the historical centre, so bit by bit as L’Aquila is rebuilt we will be able to be involved and watch from close up its progress.

But who will come and enroll at L’Aquila in the next three years? Students would need an incentive, such as the abolition of fees. But will the government do this? Perhaps they are distracted with other things just at the moment, not to mention the G8 meeting being held 8-10 July that ought to focus minds a bit. But there is a huge amount of political jockeying about which nation gets which monument to restore. The Ministery for Cultural Patrimony has drawn up a list of 45 damaged buildings of high artistic quality that need expert intervention (http://www.beniculturali.it/mibac/ dossier terremoto abruzzo) but a number of nations appear to be interested in the same few artistic gems with high publicity value and these may be in danger of being auctioned off to the highest bidders while the wealth of other important architectural treasures will have to wait years for help.

My own choice for help, being a fan of the Baroque, is the finest church of the period in the Abruzzo and located on the main square in L’Aquila: Santa Maria dell’Suffragio or Anime Sante – All Souls (above) – whose dome has collapsed as many of you will have seen. If you want to help, the account to send contributions to is:
Account title (Intestatario): CHIESA DI SANTA MARIA DEL SUFFRAGIO
Banca Popolare Commercio e Industria Spa - Ag. 2274 Milano Grassi
Abi 05048 Cab. 01651 C/C N. 233
IBAN: IT46P0504801651000000000233
Please indicate the specific reason for your offering: Emergenza terremoto - Offerta Restauro Chiesa S. Maria del Suffragio in L'Aquila as this ensures your money goes directly and exclusively to the restoration project for this church.

   Previous Back to Muse   Next 

Print this article   |  Email to a friend |   Subscription offers | Comment