The Civic Tower of Arquata del Tronto: a Symbol of Rebirth from Earthquake Ruins

This paper deals with the issue of the vulnerability (aesthetic, functional and structural) of emerging elements such as the civic towers that represent tangible signs of urban identity, and the landscape of the historic centres of the Marche landscape. The events of the Monument to the Fallen of the First World War in Arquata del Tronto, a small Apennine town in the province of Ascoli Piceno, are illustrated. This offers the opportunity to illustrate the difficulties of those areas that were so badly hit by the earthquakes of 2016-2017. The community has always maintained a strong link with its assets of identity; both the intangible and the material heritage express a concrete manifestation of the spirit of the community, whose preservation can only represent an instrument for a sustainable rebirth. The reconstruction of the monument, strongly desired by the citizens, can be a symbol of rebirth for the whole community, for its identity values, becoming a “beacon of memory” not only in memory of the war dead, but also of those who sadly lost their lives to the earthquake. The most complex issue is that of identifying the tools for an intelligent, sensitive and historically-aware reconstruction of the need for an act of reinterpretation, through new linguistic codes. More than an abstract conservation or a pseudo-mimetic reproduction of the things which existed prior to the earthquake, we must pursue an overall protection of the “civilisation of a place” and an enhancement linked to a more articulated narrative, in which ancient and new instances can converge towards a renewed local identity.