Archive
Thank you for rating this article
The Ghosts of Bussana Vecchia
2010-08-17 12:45
Where: Bussana Vecchia
Guide:
Alcyon Riviera Touring
Contact:
+33 6 80 86 43 62
Did you know that the Mediterranean coast is an area prone to seismic activity? During the 19th century, the region was struck by a series of four deadly earthquakes, the most powerful of which, on 23 February 1887, killed over 2000 people.
Fifty-three of the victims formed the population of Bussana, a small Italian village near San Remo which was subsequently abandoned, forgotten until the 1960s. Then, a number of international artists and writers moved in to the ghost town and started to breathe new life into its forgotten past.
Photo ©Karlo1, Creative Commons
Today they continue to work and live in the village, making a living from their arts and crafts, and keeping the buildings, like the tower of Sant' Egidio, from falling down. Despite this, the continuing presence of this Bohemian community has been a matter of controversy with the authorities, who have declared the town a heritage site.
Alcyon Riviera Touring offers visits to the restored ruins of Old Bussana, a town whose silence of grief has been replaced with the peace of artistic contemplation. The town and its atmosphere are a reminder that however powerful and destructive nature can be, the human spirit the resilience to overcome its effects and start again.