Differenti ricostruzioni di identità : Longarone e Venzone

Longarone and Venzone are two towns that were reconstructed completely. Their destruction originated from two disastrous events: Longarone disappeared because of the Vajont catastrophe of 9th October 1963, while Venzone was razed to the ground during the 1976 Friuli earthquake. Their locations were similar: indeed, both towns had been built in a river valley, where several roads met, al the feet of very steep mountains; both were strategic for the nearby villages. The years immediately preceding their destruction had been characterised by two different ideas of development and urban planning, with Longarone focused on economic recovery and Venzone on cultural growth. It is therefore difficult to compare the results of the reconstruction of these two towns, given the differences in their history. Longarone was founded anew on the basis of an urban plan inspired by the “most modern urban planning concepts”. Venzone, on the other hand, retained the same structure and the same buildings, having been rebuilt as was and where was by popular request.