In August 2016, a powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck central Italy, resulting in the loss of nearly 300 lives and the destruction of centuries-worth of historic architecture. At the center of the destruction was Amatrice, a beautiful hill town set in the Latium Apennines, which was reduced to mere rubble, leaving hundreds dead or injured and the survivors homeless.
But the community could not be held down. Shortly after the disaster, rebuilding efforts began, with the assistance of some of Italy’s top architects, including Renzo Piano and Stefano Boeri Architetti, who were able to construct a brand new canteen in just a few weeks time.
© Paolo Rosselli
In this new video from Milanese film production company “The Blink Fish”, the process of building the canteen and the larger “Polo Del Gusto” (Fine Food Complex) – completed this past July – is documented in full detail, from the haunting memory of that August day to the celebration of the completion of the new structure, featuring stories of compassion, communal willpower, solidarity and awareness.
© Paolo Rosselli
“The Polo del Gusto consists of a series of buildings spread over an area of 8,000 sq meters all dedicated to food and conviviality: a new town square which, as well as the canteen, hosts eight of the town’s historical restaurants, which were wiped out by the quake,” explain the architects.
The video showcases the architects and community’s race against time, proving – as Stefano Boeri remarked – “that even in an emergency, it is possible to deliver things of quality that are destined to last.”
© Paolo Rosselli
© Paolo Rosselli
Check out the video to experience the full emotional story.
Credits from the architects: Corriere della Sera newspaper and the TV News program of La 7 have collected donations from all over Italy, the firm of Stefano Boeri Architetti has donated and coordinated the project, the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia has made an operative contribution through the Innova FVG Consortium in the way of prefabricated modular wood elements, produced in the same region. [The project] would never have seen the light without the impassioned enthusiasm and the perseverance of the restaurateurs, the municipal administrators and the entire population of Amatrice.
Video and news via Stefano Boeri Architetti