Visual Paths Museum in Montevago

montevago is one of the countries of the Belice Valley which was destroyed by the terrible earthquake which destroyed numerous inhabited centers during the night between 14 and 15 January 1968.

To keep the memory of an entire population alive, the mayor of Montevago decided to give life to the museum of visual itineraries: here's what it is and what you can admire inside.

What is the museum Visual itineraries in Montevago

The Visual Paths museum in Montevago is an open-air museum exhibition that was created to keep alive the memory of what was once the inhabited town.

For a long time the area was abandoned to itself, its recovery was too complex to be able to restore the historic center. Today, however, thanks to the redevelopment work, Montevago has its own museum which has been called Visual paths precisely because it was designed as an itinerary that winds through the streets of the historic center, to rediscover many places that once represented the beating heart of city life.
The concept that the curators of this permanent museum wanted to illustrate is that of rebirth, through a process of reconstruction of spaces that once again become welcoming and on a human scale. Its particular conformation, then, allows the open-air museum to also be the perfect container for permanent exhibitions, food and wine appointments and much more.

The history of the museum Visual itineraries in Montevago

The earthquake that in 1968, in the terrible night between 14 and 15 August, destroyed the Belice Valley, also hit the town of Montevago which was completely destroyed. Over the years the inhabited area has been moved a little further downstream, as all the reconstruction projects had judged the reconstruction work too complex. Thus, also thanks to a migration process that in the XNUMXs saw numerous inhabitants of Montevago leave it to seek their fortune abroad, the historic center was gradually abandoned and for many years nothing was done to try to recover the rubble. especially some architectural works of great value such as the Cathedral.

In the year of the 53rd anniversary of the earthquake, however, the museum was inaugurated which is the final act of a recovery process begun in 2011 and strongly desired by the La Smania Addosso Cultural Association which, in collaboration with the Municipality of Montevago, oversaw the redevelopment project.

Where is the museum Visual itineraries in Montevago

The museum of visual itineraries in Montevago is an open-air exhibition that winds through what was once the historic center of the town, completely destroyed by the Belice earthquake. The route starts from Corso Umberto I, then winds through all the streets of the center and finds its sublimation in Belvedere Square, completely recovered, up to Piazza Centrale where you can admire the remains of Duomo, among the oldest monuments of Montevago.

What to see in the Visual itineraries in Montevago

Following the itinerary proposed by Percorsi Visivi, you can discover the historic center of Montevago. Obviously the recovery of the ruins did not lead to a reconstruction because the goal that the curators set themselves was to open a window on what once was, but only bring back the good memories. The goal is to give life back to places that have been dead for too long, through the organization of art exhibitions, photographic exhibitions but also guided tours.
Furthermore, since food and wine is a very important aspect that has always distinguished this corner of Sicily in the province of Agrigento, the Visual Paths museum will also lend itself to the organization of culinary itineraries aimed at discovering the smells and flavors of a a land that intends to be reborn also starting from the typical local products.

How to get to Montevago

To get to Montevago and visit the Percorsi visuali museum, you can travel with your own car auto, quickly reaching the location.
From Palermo, for example, the reference motorway is the A29, with the Santa Ninfa-Partanna exit from which you continue on the SS188 to your destination. Those who, on the other hand, move from Catania will have to take the A19 with the Caltanissetta exit and then continue on the SS115 up to Montevago.

Who wants to travel on the train, however, will have to refer to the stations of Castelvetrano or Campobello di Mazara, which are the closest ones, since Montevago does not have its own.

Finally it is possible to travel in bus numbers both from Agrigento and from Palermo with the local lines of AST.