La storia si ripete: eventi sismici a Norcia fra distruzione e ricostruzione

The incessant sequence of earthquakes that struck central Italy in the last three centuries has fueled a vast production of documents, yet not fully explored. These records describe damages, requested providences, granted subsidies and, especially, they report all the attempts made in order to give appropriate technical responses to unpredictable events. A part of this documentation dates back to the years between the 18th and the 19th century, a period that was troubled by numerous and intense shocks. Although frequently destroyed by earthquakes, the town of Norcia (Umbria) has always been rebuild, keeping a neat appearance and, within its medieval walls, a characteristic urban fabric. This balance, which had managed to remain unchanged for centuries, is now in danger due to the 2016-2017 seismic events. The recent shocks bring back to the attention a number of unsolved issues and questions about the difficulties in transmitting a widespread knowledge consisting of behaviors, building practices and planning instruments. The contribution focuses on the strategies adopted after the earthquakes that hit Norcia and its area between the 18th and 19th centuries and on how these events recur unchanged about three centuries later, raising problems that local communities had already dealt with.