Gibellina's Grande Cretto: Land Art and Solitude in Sicily

The article reflects on the Grande Cretto by Alberto Burri in Gibellina, Sicily, during the COVID-19 quarantine. The land art piece, one of the largest site-specific works globally, was completed in phases (1984-89 partial, 2015 total) using concrete and ancient rubble to memorialize the town destroyed by the 1968 Belice earthquake. The quarantine emptied both the old Gibellina (now the Cretto) and the new city, highlighting absence. The author, Luca Cantore D'Amore, connects the experience to Walter Benjamin's concept of 'Jetztzeit' (now-time) and quotes Jean-Luc Godard on memory. The work is described as a rare emotional short-circuit, merging desolation and memory. The article is part of the 'Italia fantasma' series on abandoned places, published on Artribune.