SLOW REBIRTH OF EARTHQUAKE TOWNS
The Church of St.Benedict of Norcia recently held its first religious service seven years after the catastrophic earthquake that devastated parts of central Italy in 2016. The faithful met under the newly restored roof in a building, however, still full of scaffolding and an estimated further two years will be needed to restore the church to something approaching its former glory.
St. Benedict, the patron saint of Europe, was born in Norcia, which is therefore an important centre of religious tourism. The town is also famous for its pork butchers and in pre-earthquake times its restaurants and food shops were packed at weekends with diners and shoppers.
The surrounding area, which is largely mountainous, was very badly damaged. 138 villages and hamlets were involved and some 14,000 families are still living in temporary housing. The first mass in Norcia was greeted as a sign on hope that things may now gradually return to normal after the interminable rebuilding delays.
The town of Amatrice, another pre-quake tourist centre, is also celebrating the return of a beloved landmark - the 27m-high medieval clock-tower that rises in the heart of the town. The clock hands had frozen at the fatal hour of 3.36 on the 24th August 2016, when the violent earth tremor struck, reducing the town centre to rubble. The tower has now been restored and reinforced and the clock has resumed its normal time-honoured task of centuries-long time-keeping.
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STENHOUSE.
Info: www.comune.norcia.pg.it www.comune.amatrice.rieti.it
SLOW REBIRTH OF EARTHQUAKE TOWNS
The Church of St.Benedict of Norcia recently held its first religious service seven years after the catastrophic earthquake that devastated parts of central Italy in 2016. The faithful met under the newly restored roof in a building, however, still full of scaffolding and an estimated further two years will be needed to restore the church to something approaching its former glory.
St. Benedict, the patron saint of Europe, was born in Norcia, which is therefore an important centre of religious tourism. The town is also famous for its pork butchers and in pre-earthquake times its restaurants and food shops were packed at weekends with diners and shoppers.
The surrounding area, which is largely mountainous, was very badly damaged. 138 villages and hamlets were involved and some 14,000 families are still living in temporary housing. The first mass in Norcia was greeted as a sign on hope that things may now gradually return to normal after the interminable rebuilding delays.
The town of Amatrice, another pre-quake tourist centre, is also celebrating the return of a beloved landmark - the 27m-high medieval clock-tower that rises in the heart of the town. The clock hands had frozen at the fatal hour of 3.36 on the 24th August 2016, when the violent earth tremor struck, reducing the town centre to rubble. The tower has now been restored and reinforced and the clock has resumed its normal time-honoured task of centuries-long time-keeping.
-
STENHOUSE.
Info: www.comune.norcia.pg.it www.comune.amatrice.rieti.it
