Last August’s deadly earthquakes in Central Italy left the town of Amatrice in ruins—and also appears to have made it a tourism attraction for visitors who come to take selfies of themselves among the hundreds of collapsed homes and shops. And that’s disturbing to local residents.
The town’s mayor, Sergio Pirozzi, told an Italian TV audience last Monday “Don’t come to Amatrice to take selfies by the rubble. Otherwise I’ll get pissed off.” He told visitor they are welcome, however, to come and “see our mountains and surroundings, which are extraordinary” and to be respectful toward the scenes of tragedy, where 291 local residents died.
The town has continued to suffer damage to weakened buildings; in January the town’s church and bell tower collapsed. And recovery has been slow. In November, Pirozzi told a Chamber of Deputies committee that “the impression is that someone is abandoning us.”
Only in March the first temporary wooden homes arrived, with another 475 due to allow families to return to the town. They are being placed near the town center, which will take years to rebuild.
