The Venue
Gibellina Nuova was built ex novo following the earthquake that destroyed most of the villages of the Belice valley, in the province of Trapani in 1968. The new town is located is eleven kilometers from the ruins of the old town, site of Alberto Burri‘s land art memorial Grande Cretto. In 1970 the local administration, led by the mayor Ludovico Corrao, launched an ambitious program that would transform Gibellina Nuova into the largest open-air museum in Italy. International artists and architects were invited to redesign the shape of the new anti-seismic town, through a series of interventions for public space that included both the urban reorganization of the central common spaces, and the production of over fifty works of art. The works welcome the visitor at the entrance of the city, with Stella d’ingresso al Belice realized by Pietro Consagra in 1981 and considered the symbol of the town.