The Belice Valley in western Sicily has come a long way since the 1968 earthquake that destroyed many towns in the area. The violent earthquake not only annihilated physical locations, killed around 300 people, and injured about a thousand, but also displaced 100,000 people, forcing many to emigrate to the United States, Australia, Canada, and Venezuela. Those who stayed lived in shacks for many years.

Among them was the family of “Cudduredda,” officially Eleonora Di Girolamo, a seven-year-old girl who miraculously survived under the rubble for 48 hours but unfortunately only lived another two days after being rescued and taken to the hospital. A photo of her mother at her bedside went worldwide.