Gibellina & Cretto di Burri

Where catastrophe became art: the most haunting landscape in Sicily.

In 1968, a devastating earthquake destroyed fifteen towns in the Belice Valley, killing hundreds and leaving entire communities in ruins. Gibellina was one of them. What followed was one of the most unusual responses to disaster in modern history: a decision to transform the ruins themselves into art.

The Cretto di Burri is the work of Alberto Burri, one of the most significant Italian artists of the twentieth century. Over the footprint of the destroyed town, he poured an enormous blanket of white concrete, preserving the street plan of the old city beneath it. The result is a labyrinth of white corridors tracing roads that no longer lead anywhere, over a silence that is absolute. At nearly nine hectares, it is one of the largest land art works ever created, and one of the most quietly devastating things you will encounter anywhere in the world.

New Gibellina, rebuilt several kilometres away, became an open-air museum of contemporary art, with works commissioned from some of the greatest artists and architects of the late twentieth century. It is a strange, ambitious, melancholy place: a town designed by artists, shaped by grief, and unlike anything else in Sicily.

This is not a tour for those seeking postcard Sicily. It is for those who want to understand the island at a deeper level, where beauty and tragedy have always been inseparable.

🚐 Private transfer included throughout the tour.

Price: Starting from 400€ [Subject to availability and personalised requests]

🗣️ Want to go deeper? A certified local guide can be added to your experience for an additional fee, bringing every site to life with expert storytelling, historical context and insider knowledge.

Contact us to check for dates and availabilities.