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HASTY DEMOLITIONS FOLLOWING EARTHQUAKES IN ITALY SHOULD BE AVOIDED
jun 18
Plácido Domingo, President of Europa Nostra, wrote to the highest Italian authorities to express the organisation’s sympathy for the loss of human lives and also for the damage to cultural heritage caused by the earthquakes in the Emilia Romagna region in May and June.
A 5.1 quake with epicentre in Finale Emilia (Modena) on the 20 May and another one on 29 May hit a vast area in the provinces of Modena, Ferrara and Bologna and damaged a large amount of churches, towers, castles and municipal residences. Tremors and aftershocks are still taking place.
Europa Nostra urges Italian authorities to do everything possible to avoid the repetition of the negative experience surrounding the L’Aquila earthquake back in April 2009. Especially alarming are the demolitions with dynamite and the policy to immediately destroy those historical and artistic buildings that are considered to be impossible to restore. Europa Nostra shares Italia Nostra’s view that hasty demolitions should be avoided at all cost.
Plácido Domingo sent his letter to the President of Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, to the Prime Minister of Italy, Mario Monti and also to the Italian Minister of Culture, Lorenzo Ornaghi.
In his letter, Europa Nostra’s President encouraged the Italian authorities to undertake appropriate measures to repair the serious damage caused by the earthquakes, in close cooperation with local population concerned and also in consultation with national and international organisations defending cultural heritage.
“It is important to keep in mind the significance, even economical, of the conservation of cultural heritage that belongs to everybody and makes us and Europe so unique”, wrote Plácido Domingo.
DOCUMENTS (IN ITALIAN)
Letter to the President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano
Letter to the Prime Minister Mario Monti
Letter to the Minister of Culture Lorenzo Ornaghi
Reply from the President of the Republich Giorgio Napolitano
MORE INFO
Special edition of the Italia Nostra's bulletin (in Italian)
Photo: Castello Estense, Ferrara. Italia Nostra