Istituito nel 2012 per la ricostruzione del patrimonio architettonico severamente danneggiato dal sisma dell’Aquila del 2009, l'Ufficio Speciale per la Ricostruzione dei Comuni del Cratere (USRC) ha nel tempo sperimentato approcci di coinvolgimento pubblico nei processi di ricostruzione che hanno sancito l’ampliamento della missione dell’ufficio dalla ricostruzione fisica a quella immateriale, quando nel 2020 prendono forma le prime visioni di sviluppo territoriale di area vasta che trovano concretezza con gli interventi del Piano Nazionale Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR) Italiano. A partire dal 2023 la promozione di iniziative di sviluppo a base culturale diventa a tutti gli effetti un settore di attività dell’Ufficio e si avviano approcci innovativi per la valorizzazione e sviluppo del territorio basati su ascolto e progettazione partecipati.
Il video “Prendersi cura... oltre i limiti” raccoglie una serie di testimonianze e iniziative socioculturali e imprenditoriali presenti sul territorio e alcune attività svolte dai Comuni del cratere con il supporto dell’USRC.
TAKING CARE... BEYOND THE LIMITS
Bominaco
Lisa: "The places where I live have such an inner soul that they make one a slave to so much beauty. I get emotional just talking about it because I really feel so much of the place I belong to. I am Lisa, I am one of the custodians of the Bominaco monastic complex and I live here in Bominaco. I decided to stay here because my heart is inexorably in love with this town. It is an inner area that has difficulties but in my opinion many difficulties also means many possibilities. So maybe the more difficulties, the more possibilities. There are realities that allow imagination, and allow in my opinion young people to invent themselves, to reinvent themselves without moving away from the places they love. I see all the time young people or any kind of people who go away for work or leave these places for long periods of time, however, then they are reattracted like magnets and eventually come back here and decide to reinvest their future and their lives in our territories. So this in my opinion is not resistance, this is simply love."
Capestrano
Giorgio: "Capestrano is important because there is a history, let's say thousands of years of history. There is a real history of remarkable importance. I am Giorgio, I take care of this castle and I live in Capestrano. This here is an enclosed village, it was built in the year 1000 for Alfonso il Magnanimo, the king of Naples, and it was the fief, the most important castle in his kingdom. And it was the most important village in his kingdom. Then there is another important thing, that we have the warrior, we have that famous Capestrano warrior, which was found in 1934 by a farmer, a certain Michele Castagna while he was working in his vineyard. It was a lucky that he put the vineyard there, because if he didn't put the vine there, the statue would have been still down there. This is a globally important statue, because we are talking about the sixth century, the seventh century before Christ. We talk about a statue honoring the king of the Vestini. Then we have San Giovanni da Capestrano. He built the convent, and inside that convent there is a library of priceless value. I am in love with this village."
Ofena
Anna: “«Ofena bella tu. Paese de stu core. Chiù sta e chiù me ‘nnamore. Tu me fe suspirà. M’avvince e m’encatena. L’anema me rasserena. Ofena, Ofena». I am Anna and I live in Ofena, the soul of Ofena are the people, the people who live in Ofena. They are the ones who represent the soul of Ofena. And I must say that they are all welcoming people who really care about their village. And they are trying in every way to lift up the fortunes of our little town. The businesses that are springing up now are created by young entrepreneurs who are rediscovering the importance of farming."
Castelli
Antonio: The soul of Castelli is a hardworking soul because, as I said before, the work of the potter is still a long job that doesn't last the classic 8 hours. My name is Antonio, I live in Castelli, and I am one of the potters in Castelli. We have Gran Sasso mountain with the north face where Mount Camicia is, which is fascinating. Castelli for me is everything, despite the adversities of these last years we have stayed here, sometimes even a few of us. Because for example after the 2009 earthquake in the historic center there were 20 of us left. Now there are a few more of us, however, we gain strength and also this beautiful environment makes us stay here, with resilience.
Giovanni: Ceramics, majolica especially, has had some very very high moments, as product of quality and international recognition. To continue this tradition is important. I am Giovanni and I live in Castelli. I used to work, I have always worked here and I still work.
Fossa
Bruno: I am from Argentina, I was born there, but now I have been around, traveling, for seven years in South America and now I live here in Fossa. Happily I found this place to work that is MAP number nine.
Ocre
Artisan: Seeing an artist of a certain age coming from far away to pick up the shards caused by the earthquake moves me, and I gladly welcome them.
Artist: People's eyes, the eyes, when they see that they get to make a star, they get to make flowers. Then this feeling of belonging, of being part of a family around a work for me is really rewarding.
Bugnara
Giovanni: Bugnara is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. I am Giovanni and I was born and raised in Bugnara. One of the events I think is unique in Italy takes place in Bugnara, which is the International Festival of Floral Art. The soul of Bugnara is the effort to keep its roots and vocations intact.
Tornimparte
Elisa: I feel very good here because of the sense of community that binds the villagers together. It's full of young people and it's very good living here. My name is Elisa, I am 16 years old and I am happy to live in Tornimparte. This is the church of San Panfilo and it was completely frescoed by Saturnino Gatti. I think there are great possibilities also because the area is very picturesque. In these parts let's say there are territorial characteristics that are not found everywhere. Surrounded by greenery. There is incredible peace here.
