Home
In this perspective, the Dept of Civil Protection of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, along with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, promoted the itinerant exhibition “Terremoti d’Italia (Earthquakes of Italy)” aiming at awaking the public opinion, and the school audience in particular, to the problems connected to the seismic risk, that dramatically affects a significant portion of our Country.
The exhibition also represents a provocation on the subject of the seismic prevention at national scale, in respect of which there is still a lot to do, with the purpose to speed up the building safety procedures on the whole national territory. A further purpose of the exhibition is to stimulate citizens, young above all, to play an active role in the prevention, by making them aware of the existence and fundamental characteristics of the seismic phenomenon, and by informing them on what to do in case of danger.
The itinerant exhibition moves through the territories damaged by some of the most relevant events in the last century of the Italian history. Documents, images, scientific instruments, technical anti-seismic devices coming from record offices, libraries, public and private agencies all over Italy are shown in the exhibition, . Special attention is paid to the learning activities for students, that are organized in a dedicated didactic laboratory.
The core of the exhibition is the area called “L’ESPERIENZA” ( EXPERIENCE), where, thanks to two big vibrating tables reproducing the seismic shaking, the visitor can understand what an earthquake is like, through the sensorial perception of its effects on people and objects,.
Standing on the first table, that reproduces a domestic setting in real size, visitors can “feel” an earthquake. On the second table, a urban setting with buildings and bridges with different seismic protection systems is reproduced at the scale 1:25, so that the visitors can perceive from the outside the earthquake experience.
The shaking tables represent spectacular elements which summarise different aspects, both seismological and of engineering. The path dedicated to the MEMORY and UNDERSTANDING of the earthquake and to the protection from its effects is undertaken from this integrated perspective.
An unusual contamination of subjects gives visitors the opportunity for a multidisciplinary understanding of the phenomenon along the expositive path:
· anti-seismic devices that are examples of up-to-date methods of protection from earthquake effects. They play a fundamental and primary role in prevention, by reducing the buildings’ vulnerability;
· seismic instruments of measure of different ages, from the Chinese seismoscope to the mechanical seismographs available since the beginning of the past century, up to the more recent electronic devices and monitoring systems that continuously keep the whole national territory under control; they guarantee a more efficient earthquake PROTECTION, intended as the capability to promptly intervene during an emergency, and to foster the improvement of the knowledge through the detailed study of the phenomenon;
· big screens that illustrate, how earthquakes are generated and the way they are measured, and that explain how to behave before, during and after an earthquake; these are instruments that improve the seismic PROTECTION by supporting the visitors’ UNDERSTANDING;
· a didactic laboratory that introduces primary and secondary school students to the subject of seismic risk. The lab is based on a highly interactive approach, where participants are called to personally experience sensations and emotions connected to the earthquake, as well as to explore the theoretic knowledge through scientific experiments. These experiments are carried out by working on/playing with tools dedicated to the different subjects, among which the methods of protection from earthquakes;
· panels that illustrate the most damaging Italian earthquakes of the past century, providing scientific information, seismograms, newspapers and photos of that time;
· postcards, photos, archive documents and prints concerning the major earthquakes of the Italian seismic history;
· audiovisual contributions from stock footage complete the path. They are realized thanks to the collaboration of the “Discoteca di Stato”, the “Istituto Luce” and “Teche Rai”;
The three distinct paths of memory, understanding and protection are mingled and combined, even though each of them follows its own logic, and they stimulate and get the visitor emotionally involved, while he perceives and rationalizes the earthquake.
100 years of earthquakes in Italy have taught us that the catastrophic effects of the earthquakes mainly depend on people.
100 years of scientific and technological growth have taught us that it is possible to protect ourselves from earthquakes.
100 years of seismic catastrophes have taught us that the most important protection is achieved by constructing seismic-resistant buildings and, above all, by strengthening those existing.
Unfortunately, in 100 years not much has been done to reduce the seismic risk on the existing building heritage.
A new and substantial political and economical commitment, along with the conscious and determined involvement of all citizens, is fundamental in order to mitigate the seismic risk of schools, hospitals, houses, bridges, industrial plants and have not to talk any longer about catastrophes, announced tragedies and disgraces for our beloved Country.
Italians deserve the greatest and most important effort: the protection and safeguard from the greatest and most serious risk for everybody’s lives.
