The Remembrance Museum of Santa Margherita commemorates the tragic events of the Belice earthquake by displaying fragments of broken lives and unforgotten moments
Memories and images are displayed in the town’s old Cathedral, amidst the ruins caused by the earthquake and the reconstructed parts On 15 January 1968, a violent earthquake shook the Belice Valley. Of the fourteen villages affected, four were completely razed to the ground, there was no hope for Gibellina, Poggioreale, Salaparuta and Montevago, the many houses in tufa stone that dotted the valley were completely destroyed. The event was particularly tragic because it struck a rural area, inhabited mainly by women, children and the elderly, who would struggle for a long time in order to recover.
In one of the many buildings damaged by the earthquake, the Cathedral of Santa Margherita, the terrible event is remembered and recounted, through testimonies and original documents that form a unique and poignant journey. What was once the town’s main church, a place of prayer and meditation, has become a civic space of remembrance and concentration.
The materials exhibited in the Cathedral offer a choral story that is not limited to just the town of Santa Margherita but extends across the entire valley. Photos from archives and private collections, multimedia documents, newspapers and magazines of the time, quotations, paintings tell the story of the villages of the Belìce Valley before and after the tragic night of the earthquake, along a path that helps us better understand the immense tragedy and the impact it had on the local communities.
Quick overview
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Opening days
Open daily
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Opening times
Monday, Thusday
From 9:00 am till 2:00 pm - From 3:30 pm till 6:30 pm
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
From 9:00 am till 2:00 pm
Saturday, Sunday and holidays
From 9:30 am till 1:00 - From 3:30 pm till 6:30 pm -
How to reach
By car:
From Palermo take SS624 to Santa Margherita Belice - Web
Services
- Visits Available in Italian, English
Suggested periods
- Autumn
- Spring
- Weekend
Visiting Rules
Basic rules:
All visitors are invited to observe the basic rules of respect for the preservation of monuments
Covid 19 rules:
Visitors are requested to wear a mask in enclosed or heavily crowded areas and to maintain the safety distance indicated by the regulations in force