L’Aquila
‘The Eagle’
“Home is a shelter from storms, all sorts of storms”
– William J. Bennett
We just got back from L’Aquila, ‘The Eagle’.
It’s about 140 kms from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport to L’Aquila, the gateway to Central Italy.
Many will only have heard of his city, after its devastating earthquake of 2009.
We had travelled from Central Italy by bus, so we approached it from a different direction, going through the incredible tunnels which pass through the epic, Gran Sasso mountain range.
It was a short walk to our apartment in the ‘Centro Storico’, by the Piazza Santa Maria Paganica, one of many parts of the city, which shows evidence of the earthquake.
We wandered in the Centro Storico, in the piazzas and cobbled streets of L’Aquila. Our ‘Passeggiata’ would take us around the ‘Forte Spagnolo’, the Spanish fortress and the highest point of the city. There were views of the snow capped Gran Sasso mountains in the distance.
We spent days roaming in this ancient town, in many ways reminiscent of some big, Italian cities, but without the crowds.
Walking the streets of L’Aquila we were struck by the absolute silence of the place. Without doubt it is the quietest city we have ever been to, with incredible stillness almost everywhere we went.
There are many badly damaged, abandoned buildings across the city. Many empty streets.
The place that we call home is a unique space for all of us. It is the place where you feel safe and content. It is the venue to host the people that you love. It is far more than simply a place to shelter.
So what happens when we lose a home? It’s unimaginable.
Many of the survivors from the earthquake would have had to move away, while their homes were being rebuilt. Perhaps they went to stay with family members. Maybe they relocated to one of the many, modern apartment blocks, which can be seen on the perimeter of the city.
Will the inhabitants of L’Aquila who had to move away, ever go back to their homes?
On the ‘XIII anniversary del terremoto’, we joined a memorial mass being held at the Chiesa S. Maria Del Suffragio.
It was a sad event, remembering the tragedy of a natural disaster.
Everywhere we walked, there was a building nearby being restored to its former glory. But there is so much more construction to do.
My thoughts turned to the events in Ukraine. More sadness. More tragic events. But by contrast, what’s happening there is un-natural, inhuman and completely unnecessary.
As I gazed at countless buildings cloaked in scaffolding. I wondered, who’s holding up the people who have lost their homes? Who is supporting them?
How long will it take the people of Ukraine to rebuild their cities?
13 years on, many people are trying to re-build their lives here in L’Aquila after the earthquake caused so much damage across the province.
There is progress. Something like 30 % of the area’s buildings have been restored after the earthquake. It’s impressive. And there is a lot of funding to continue with the work.
In the future L’Aquila will become a ‘must visit’ city in Italy, and tourists will flock there.
To see it now is to witness a historic city under going its transformation.
L’Aquila will rise, just like an eagle. And just as eagles thrive from a storm, using the winds to go higher, perhaps many of the people of L’Aquila will overcome the challenges that the earthquake presented to this city, and they will become part of the story of this beautiful city’s regeneration.
© Maggie M / Mother City Time