Burri's Cretto
Gibellina
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Burri's Cretto is a monumental work of environmental art. This Land Art masterpiece goes beyond traditional sculpture, offering an immersive experience that blends art, memory, and landscape. Today, it also serves as a venue for cultural events. Also known as Il Grande Cretto, it was created in 1984 by Alberto Burri in Gibellina, not far from Trapani, on the ruins of the old town, which had been completely destroyed in the earthquake fifteen years earlier. The work, completed in 2015 after a long interruption due to lack of funds, is a reinforced concrete sculpture that spans about 80,000 square metres, with a height of approximately 1.5 metres and dimensions reaching up to 350 by 280 metres.
THIS PLACE IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE
Burri’s work stands as a powerful memorial to the tragic 1968 earthquake and the lost city of Gibellina. The project involved pouring white concrete over the rubble of the old town, intentionally preserving the original urban layout in the form of “cracks” or fissures. The term Cretto literally means “crack” or “fracture,” referring precisely to these features.