The story of Poggioreale, a ghost town in Sicily in the province of Trapani, began, as we know it, 50 years ago, when it was hit by a violent seismic phenomenon. The 1968 Belìce earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.4 on the Richter scale, was so called as it struck a vast region of western Sicily, precisely in the Belìce Valley, involving several countries including the provinces of Trapani, Agrigento and Palermo. Among the affected towns also appears the name of Gibellina, which became famous for the land art work of Alberto Burri, the Great Cretto.
And just as happened in Gibellina, also for Poggioreale it was decided to rebuild the new urban conglomerate in another position compared to the location hit by the violent earthquake, abandoning the remaining buildings and houses. But, once finished, Poggioreale Nuova did not resemble the old town that was founded in 1600. Easy to move people to a new place, more difficult to transplant centuries of history, habits and traditions.