# L'Aquila Market



## rendinara (Mar 6, 2011)

As I cannot find out online can anyone tell me where the market is taking place now in L'Aquila, post earthquake; I presume the main piazza is still closed. Is it still daily?


----------



## bunty16 (Sep 26, 2009)

There is nothing going on in the centre, it is all cordoned off, the main Piazza have had a few events, but as far as I know, no regular market.


----------



## italy (Aug 21, 2009)

its supposed to start in piazza d'armi.. the money is in place but the comune has delayed things.. there are a few stalwarts who attend the piazza del duomo.. but so few to make it not worth a visit..

anyway there will be one but it will be in a new place and there are protests going on now against the comune to speed up the new square.. which will have not only the market place but a theatre too 

the problem as always is the continued tremors which make everyone nervous as regards the historic centre.. moving the market is the only option really as the projected time for rebuilding the old centre areas is ten years.. and when you consider the damage and the fact that its a restoration project.. rather than a straight build then you can understand that the time scale is quite quick.. if the heart of L'Aquila will survive the wait is a question that many people pose but i think it will be built as a better city with much more to it and in ten years am sure everyone will be back in the restored old centre whilst the newer areas add a dimension to the city which it never had before..

one of the main problems with the rebuild is the legal problems associated with the collapse in a city that had regulations that were ignored.. many of the engineers and comune technicians are now under examination for their role in the collapse.. who do you trust there when they all.. well the majority of the people who are working on projects are the same that approved the ones where we all know the majority of the problems were avoidable 

to my mind one of the best ways of keeping up with how the people are trying to get things moving is via facebook.. many initiatives and lots of info that is current.. lots of anger and anguish too.. a proud people that need all of our support


----------



## rendinara (Mar 6, 2011)

bunty16 said:


> There is nothing going on in the centre, it is all cordoned off, the main Piazza have had a few events, but as far as I know, no regular market.


O.k, Sulmona it is then. Thanks for the information.


----------



## rendinara (Mar 6, 2011)

italy said:


> its supposed to start in piazza d'armi.. the money is in place but the comune has delayed things.. there are a few stalwarts who attend the piazza del duomo.. but so few to make it not worth a visit..
> 
> anyway there will be one but it will be in a new place and there are protests going on now against the comune to speed up the new square.. which will have not only the market place but a theatre too
> 
> ...


I've written several replies to your post but then deleted them. It is very difficult knowing what to say or how to say it. It is incredibly sad what happened in L'Aquila. It is incredibly sad that the building authorities let people down. It's sad too that the legal system grinds on and on regarding prosecutions. The frustration of residents is perfectly understandable but the type and sheer scale of the work required does not lend itself to quick fixes. Earthquakes have always been a part of life for the Abruzzesi as have the creation of 'new towns' even during the Middle Ages. They will overcome it because they have before. Seismic resistant buildings, even better wooden ones, are the way forward as they have been for other parts of the world where this quake would have come to very little. The difficulty is making such buildings fit in with the environment, otherwise we all lose one of the things we love about Abruzzo.


----------



## italy (Aug 21, 2009)

agree entirely.. Italys heritage of unique and historic cities and villages creates its own problems.. for sure you can just knock it all down and start again.. and make everyone safe.. but then the heart of italy will be lost so not really an option..

facing up to problems has always been difficult and national seismic rules were introduced and applied in central government .. but then as with all laws here..the regional governments then have a final say on how its applied.. L'Aquila decided not to go with the assessments of the ingv regarding their risk... 

that has now changed and i believe all regions have now accepted the national norm and all communes are listed with their appropriate risk factors.. too late for L'Aquila.. but now at least the future should be regarded with some hope...

wooden houses are i agree better than structures made of enforced concrete.. because when they collapse they do not have the weight falling onto fragile bodies..the system here of making buildings stronger is developed so that people can live safely in old historic buildings.. however it requires honesty in regards the technicians and the builders 

everyone seems to know these days about seismic rings.. to hold tops of walls.. however this is a long way from the complete picture which also involves theat intermediate floors also need ties running though to the outside of the building ..in a cross pattern ie that tie in all walls equally so that the structure remains intact at that level.. because a lot more damage is done by having heavy rooves falling if the wall or even one of the walls bursts open .. further there is then sub soil /foundation work to be done.. and this requires a geological survey as well as the building survey... if its sitting on soft ground in a quake like the L'Aquila one the ground liquefies in a sense.. its like the walls are sitting on water..and therefore you get the collapse.. he province of L'Aquila is susceptible to this form of problem as a large area has been drained and the ground when it receives a shock wave.. look at the problems that occurred away from the city and the main event.. means that the shock accelerates very quickly through this area.. which is fine.. but the problem is it then hits a mountain wall ... the appenines and rebounds.. but the speed as the energy of the shock is stopped suddenly is increased severalfold and goes back but this time in a way that its also meeting the outward shocks and creating lots of disturbance.. hence the problems of L'Aquila.. its a tsunami of earth not water.. and even wooden buildings will not survive the event.. 

this is why care has to be taken and brought force buildings need to be constructed that tie everything in allowing for forces pulling from all directions.. but starting the work from below ground and working up.. i know of many non italian property owners that look at pretty buildings with plaster falling off and get the places cleaned and restored to show its beauty..

however a geological survey will often show that the integrity of the building will require a steel mesh to be put in place around the building and then sprayed with concrete.. why.. because its been determined that even with ties of steel rods the walls are not strong enough to hold the building up.. a property that has had water penetration over many years.. those ones where plaster falls off and or no roof means that moisture has often washed out all the material between the outer and inner walls requiring them to be either completely knocked down and rebuilt or to be enclosed in enforced concrete... its very easy to see.. the building will have in general orange to yellow staining where the mortar has been washed out from inside.. 

so whilst L'Aquila will be rebuilt and restored the fact that it lies on a major fault and has fallen down before in the past means that this time they will rebuild and make secure the historic centre.. in many cases having to almost take buildings apart and add in hidden structural work before anything can be done.. but it will mean that its a safe city for the thousands of students and locals that live there..


----------

