After the Quake: The American and Abruzzo | Article: Inside Our Movies | Focus Features After the Quake: The American and Abruzzo By Nick Dawson | August 30, 2010 George Clooney and Violante Placido in a scene from The American shot in Sulmona Nick Dawson looks at how the presence of The American in Abruzzo made a big difference to the secluded Italian region after it was rocked by a massive earthquake. On April 6, 2009, an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale hit Abruzzo, with its epicenter in the region’s capital, L’Aquila. The quake, which was felt throughout the central part of Italy, killed over 300 and injured 1500. An estimated 15,000 buildings were damaged and 65,000 people were left homeless in the worst earthquake to hit Italy since 1980. Major aftershocks, some registering as high as 5.3, were then felt in the following days, as the region was thrown into chaos.

The earthquake was global news, but it struck home particularly for Anton Corbijn, director of The American, the forthcoming George Clooney hitman movie from Focus Features. Corbijn, the famed photographer-turned-director had fallen in love with Abruzzo a few months earlier when he and Rowan Joffe, the screenwriter of The American, had visited the region on a location scouting trip. Abruzzo was the setting for A Very Private Gentleman, the novel by Martin Booth which had provided the inspiration for The American, and though Joffe’s script had departed somewhat from Booth’s novel, Corbijn felt it was the perfect place to make the movie. What attracted Corbijn to Abruzzo was that it did not have the typical picture-postcard Italian vistas, but was rather “a raw environment, an honest landscape of a type that is rarely seen in movies.” Corbijn continued, “The terrain is rugged and rocky; it’s not generally where tourists go. But it’s a wonderful area that needs preserving; beyond even the earthquake, oil drilling is harming the landscape.” However, the quake meant that the whole idea of shooting in Abruzzo and showcasing the area on film was now in jeopardy.

Corbijn had planned to film The American in the towns of Castel Del Monte, Castelvecchio and L’Aquila, with production beginning in September, yet he quickly had to look for alternate possibilities for these three principal locations. L’Aquila, which bore the full force of the earthquake, was absolutely ruled out as somewhere to film, with the medieval town lying in ruins, and most of its 70,000 population now displaced by massive architectural damage. Veteran Italian producer Enzo Sisti was quickly brought on board The American and immediately spearheaded a quest to find locations that could double for the sleepy, maze-like Abruzzo towns that Corbijn was so enamored with. Sisti and his crew worked tirelessly, looking at places all around Italy: Calabria, Puglia, Sicily, Marche, Campania, Lazio, Basilicata, Molise, Liguria, Piemonte. In addition to finding new locations, Sisti also set about assessing the conditions of the original locations and the feasibility of shooting there a few months down the line.

Says Sisti, “We’d read in the paper and seen on TV that all the villages were destroyed or damaged by the earthquake, so I told our location managers to go there and take photos of the actual situation in Castel Del Monte and Abruzzo. Then I went there and spoke to the mayors, who said that at the moment everything was closed in the center of the towns, but there was a good chance they could open just for us.” Indeed, the hope of everyone working on the film was that they would find some way for The American to shoot in Abruzzo that fall. “We discussed our shared hope that filming The American would help to boost the region economically,” says Corbijn, “what with the money spent during production and the finished film encouraging tourism in the future.” On May 22, about six weeks after the earthquake, Corbijn – along with Sisti, producer Anne Carey and Focus Features’ head of production, Jane Evans – went on a scouting trip to Castel Del Monte and Castelvecchio, both about 40 or 50 kilometers away from L’Aquila and the quake’s epicenter.

Recalling the visit, Sisti says, “There were barriers in Castel Del Monte – people were not allowed to go in the [town] center because it was dangerous, but we walked in the center, close to the [Chiesa "Matrice" di San Marco church] tower, and the mayor was with us. During the scouting, I had a conversation with the mayor, and I explained to him what we were looking for and he understood that [filming there] was very important for Abruzzo and Castel Del Monte. He promised me, ‘We’ll do our best and be sure that if you shoot in September or October, Castel Del Monte will be open and you can shoot here.’ ” A government building in L’Aquila following the earthquake that hit the capital of Abruzzo It looked increasingly likely that Corbijn and company would be able to shoot in Castel Del Monte and Castelvecchio, and it was decided that Sulmona, a town in the Southern part of Abruzzo which was the birthplace of the poet Ovid, would replace L’Aquila as the third major location in the movie.

However, just because L’Aquila was not being used in the movie did not mean that the filmmakers cast it from their minds. On the contrary, The American’s leading man, noted humanitarian George Clooney, made a special visit with friend Bill Murray to the stricken town on July 9 – ironically, the same day that First Lady Michelle Obama was also there. “The only way that people who are famous can help is by bringing attention,” Clooney told the assembled journalists and paparazzi. He announced that The American would be shooting in Abruzzo that fall, and said, “I think this is the best way to lend a hand and boost the economy. We’re here to draw attention to this tragedy. …You have to help people get going again. The people we’ve spoken to aren’t looking for a hand out, they’re looking for a hand up, they’re looking for help, they want to go home.” Before leaving, Clooney visited displaced L’Aquila residents in the little village of Sant'Eusanio Forconese, about 10 kilometers to the east of ravaged capital of Abruzzo, where they were now living in tents in the makeshift San Demetio Camp.

While there, Clooney helped set up a cinema tent; the message was clear – film was going to bring hope to Abruzzo. When Sulmona held its annual film festival during the filming of The American, the organizers expressed their appreciation for Clooney’s efforts in putting a spotlight on the area in its time of need by awarding him the first ever Silver Ovidius, an award named after the town’s most famous son, Ovid. During the time The American was in production, it was clear just how much the area needed a shot in the arm. Commenting on the experience of shooting the chase sequence in Castel Del Monte, Corbijn noted in his book Inside the American that the town “is a pretty deserted place for most of the year. I reckon 75% of the houses are empty bar 2 months in the summer, so George chasing a car on his scooter didn't really wake up anyone at night." The towns where Corbijn shot are notable for how quiet and empty they are.

This was a boon for a movie director trying to create a mood – Corbijn calls Castel Del Monte “a beautiful environment that could turn dangerous,” redolent of the Venice depicted in Don’t Look Now – but not a good reality for the struggling locals who only see an influx of tourists and income during a two-month period each summer. For Enzo Sisti, he sees The American and Abruzzo as having found an ideal partnership. “They needed us because they were very depressed, and we needed them for the locations,” says Sisti. “There was this synergy. They told me later that we brought a small part of happiness — we helped the people to come out, to be happy.” Though the region’s recovery from the earthquake – and, in particular, the rebuilding of L’Aquila – is progressing slower than many would have liked, the quake nevertheless put Abruzzo in the consciousness of many journalists, and there have been major newspaper articles on the region this year in The Wall Street Journal , The Times , The Guardian , The Observer and The New York Times .

The presence of The American in Abruzzo gave the area an immediate financial boost, however the long-term upside is expected to be much greater once audiences see and fall in love with the area which Corbijn says “is now my favourite region in Italy.” More immediately, Focus Features has also partneed with Gilt on a special sale of costumes and props from The American from which all proceeds will go to the American Red Cross International Response Fund , which offers continued help to the victims of the Abruzzo earthquake. - - - - - You can make a direct donation to help the victims of the L’Aquila Earthquake at GlobalGiving . To plan a visit to Abruzzo, go to the website of the region’s tourist board. Share This: RSOE EDIS: Italy – Earthquake – 2009.04.06 | Bleak News of the Day Bleak News of the Day Event exciting : Earthquake M 6.3 Damage level: Moderate (Level 2) Not confirmed information! Description: A large earthquake of magnitude 6.3 hit central Italy in the early hours of Monday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Buildings were reported collapsed in the centre of Aquila, a town in Abruzzo, 50 miles north-east of Rome and close to the quake’s epicentre. According to the website of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, local police said they feared that people were trapped in the rubble and that many people could be injured. Residents in Rome were woken by the quake when it struck at about 3.30am local time. Rafael Abreu, of the USGS described the event as a shallow quake and said that the region had been hit by a smaller magnitude 4 quake earlier in the day. The USGS had earlier estimated that the quake measured 6.7. Abreu said residents in the area should be braced for aftershocks. Abreu said: “This is a significant quake, a shallow quake with possibility of damage and injuries.” The country’s civil protection services were reportedly being called in to help residents affected by the quake and a local reporter, Nick Pisa, told Sky News that people were assembling in the streets in Rome, which is rarely affected by seismic events, braced for aftershocks. Local reports described furniture rattling and car alarms being set off.

The quake was the lastest and strongest in a series to hit the l’Aquila area on Sunday and Monday. Earthquakes can be particularly dangerous in parts of Italy, which is a treasure house of centuries-old buildings. Posted:2009-04-06 02:40:49 [UTC] On 2009-04-06 at 03:12:01 [UTC] Event: Earthquake Location: Italy Abruzzo Aquila Situation An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale rocked central Italy on Monday, seriously damanging some houses and causing a few structures to collapse in a mountainous region east of Rome, officials said. A number of people were reported to have been injured and others trapped under rubble in the area where the city of l’Aquila is situated, but officials had few details on the situation. The quake struck at about 3.35 a.m. (0135 GMT) and was centred in the mountainous Abruzzo region east of Rome. Several old structures collapsed in l’Aquila, the Italian news agency Ansa reported.

Residents in many parts of central Italy felt the quake and some ran out into the streets. Residents of Rome, which is rarely hit by seismic activity, were woken by the quake. Furniture rattled, lights swayed and car alarms went off. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake’s epicentre was believed to be some 60 miles (95 km) from Rome and that its depth was 6.2 miles (10 km). It initially put the scale of the quake at 6.7 but later lowered it 6.3. The quake was the lastest and strongest in a series to hit the l’Aquila area on Sunday and Monday. Earthquakes can be particularly dangerous in parts of Italy because some buildings are centuries-old. Situation Update No. 2 On 2009-04-06 at 04:34:37 [UTC] Event: Earthquake Location: Italy Abruzzo Aquila Situation Part of a university residence, a church tower and several houses collapsed in a strong earthquake that hit central Italy on Monday but it was still not clear if there were any casualties, officials said.

It was not clear if anyone was inside the dormitory in the city of l’Aquila, about 100 km (62 miles) east of Rome. The quake registered 6.3 on the Richter scale and struck at about 3.35 a.m. (0135 GMT). Situation Update No. 3 On 2009-04-06 at 04:36:45 [UTC] Event: Earthquake Number of Deads: 1 persons Situation Several people have been killed in a strong earthquake that hit a large section of central Italy on Monday, the civil protection department in Rome said. The department said it had received reports that people had been killed but gave no figures. State television RAI said an elderly woman and a child had been killed in a village east of Rome in the Abruzzo region where the quake was centered. Situation Update No.

4 On 2009-04-06 at 04:42:49 [UTC] Event: Earthquake Number of Deads: 2 persons Situation Two people died and several others were trapped in falling buildings after an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale struck central Italy early this morning. An elderly woman and a child were killed and a university dormitory in the Abruzzo town of Aquila was among a number of buildings that collapsed when the earthquake struck at 3.32 am (0132 GMT) in the mountainous region 60 miles (95 kilometres) north of Rome. Residents of Rome were woken by the earthquake, but early reports suggested the old town of Aquila was worst hit, with buildings in the old town collapsing and others severely damaged. The woman and child were killed in the nearby town of Fossa. The earthquake, the latest in a series of tremors that have shook Italy’s north central region since Sunday, struck at a depth of six miles (10 kilometres), the US Geological Survey said on its website. Situation Update No.

5 On 2009-04-06 at 04:48:12 [UTC] Event: Earthquake Number of Deads: 2 persons Situation Britons caught up in a major Italian earthquake, in which it is reported that four children have died, told how they felt their houses shaking violently for up to 30 seconds. The magnitude 6.3 rumble struck around 60 miles north east of Rome, where there were reports of widespread damage and people trapped in the town of L’Aquila, near the epicentre. Matthew Peacock, who lives with his wife and child in the Umbrian town of Amelia – around 60 miles north of Rome – said he woke up feeling a “very significant shaking”. He told Sky News: “It was quite an extraordinary experience. “It felt like the house was being shaken from the rooftop – my bed was banging against the wall and you could hear this creaking. “I rushed across the hallway to my son, who’s five, grabbed him and stood underneath the doorway.

The shaking went on for 20 seconds or so.” Mr Peacock – who said he felt two or three aftershocks after the initial quake – added: “The earth really felt like jelly underneath. Briton Barry Raven, who lives in Monte San Marino, a small town in the Apennine mountain range 60 miles to the north east of L’Aquila – said he also woke up to find the house shaking. Italian news agencies were reporting damage to many buildings in L’Aquila, a college town said to be popular with Romans. Thousands of properties are also said to be without power. Situation Update No. 8 On 2009-04-06 at 05:56:49 [UTC] Event: Earthquake Location: Italy Abruzzo La Aquila Number of Deads: 13 persons Situation A strong earthquake rocked a large swathe of central Italy on Monday, killing at least 10 people and causing houses, churches and other buildings to collapse, officials said.

Some media said as many as 13 people had been killed in L’Aquila, a city founded in the 13th century about 100 km (60 miles) east of Rome, and surrounding villages. Four children were reported killed in one building in L’Aquila, two in one outlying village and five in another. “Thousands of people (could be left) homeless and thousands of buildings collapsed or damaged,” Agostino Miozzo, an official at the civil protection ministry, said. Rubble blocked most of the old streets in L’Aquila, burying some parked cars, but even some modern structures on the outskirts collapsed. Part of a university residence collapsed in l’Aquila, a popular tourist destination, but it was not clear if anyone was inside. The bell tower of a church in the center of the city also collapsed and a church collapsed in another village. The area has many Romanesque and Renaissance churches. A number of people were reported to have been injured and still trapped under rubble in the city and outlying areas from the quake, which measured 6.3 on the Richter scale — the strongest earthquake to hit Italy in years, officials said.

The quake struck shortly after 3:30 a.m. (9:30 p.m. EDT) and was centered in the mountainous Abruzzo region east of Rome. Residents in many parts of central Italy felt the quake and some ran out into the streets. Residents of Rome, which is rarely hit by seismic activity, were woken by the quake. Furniture rattled, lights swayed and car alarms went off. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake’s epicenter was believed to be some 60 miles from Rome and that its depth was 6.2 miles. The agency initially put the scale of the quake at 6.7 but later lowered it 6.3. Italian officials put the magnitude at about 5.8. Situation Update No.

12 On 2009-04-06 at 09:08:02 [UTC] Event: Earthquake Location: Italy Abruzzo La Aquila Number of Deads: 27 persons Number of Injured persons: 50 persons Number of Missing persons: 8 persons Situation Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has declared a state of emergency Monday in the wake of the devastating earthquake, which struck near L’Aquila, the capital of the Abruzzo region in central Italy. Berlusconi has also announced that he has cancelled a planned trip to Moscow to head for the epicenter of the quake which authorities say has claimed the lives of at least 27 people were so far. “I am leaving for L’Aquila. I have cancelled my trip to Moscow because I think the situation is such that the presence of the head of government at the scene could be useful,” Berlusconi told Italian television. Berlusconi had been due to fly to Moscow for a two-day visit along with 1,000 businessmen, bankers and industry executives.

As emergency services scrambled to find victims trapped under thousands of collapsed homes, the European Union and several countries quickly offered aid to Italy, officials told ANSA news agency. The EU, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Russia immediately offered aid, said Agostino Miozzo, a public safety chief quoted by the national agency. But he added that it was not immediately needed. The quake has damaged thousands of buildings and has left thousands of people homeless, Miozzo added. The US Geological Survey reported the strength of the quake at 6.3, saying it was centered 95 kilometers (59 miles) north-east of Rome at a depth of 10 kilometers. It struck at 03:32 CET the US Geological Survey said on its website. A magnitude-4.7 aftershock was reported shortly after the quake, which was preceded by two tremors with magnitudes of 3.5 and 3.9, Italian authorities said. The epicenter of the quake, which was also felt in Rome, was five kilometers outside L’Aquila, a town of 60,000 residents in the Apennine Mountains, Italian public safety officials said.

The quake came just hours after a 4.6-magnitude tremor shook Italy’s north-central region with no reports of damage. Two men hug each other as people and volunteers stand amidst debris in the city of L’AquilaBildunterschrift: The city of L’Aquila has been devastated by the quake That quake occurred at 10:20 pm on Sunday near Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region and was exceptionally deep at some 28 kilometers, public safety officials told ANSA. Because of its depth, the tremor was felt over a wide area, notably in the Marche region on the Adriatic coast. A powerful earthquake in the region claimed 13 lives in 1997 and damaged or destroyed priceless cultural heritage. Italy is dissected by two fault lines, with around 20 million people at risk from earthquakes. Past deadly earthquakes in Italy include an October 2002 quake that killed 30 people including 27 pupils and their teacher who were crushed under their schoolhouse in the tiny medieval village of San Giuliano di Puglia.

Twenty-two years earlier, on November 23, 1980, a violent quake struck the southern region of Irpiona near Naples, killing 2,570, injuring 8,850 and displacing 30,000. Situation Update No. 14 On 2009-04-06 at 11:19:16 [UTC] Event: Earthquake Location: Italy Abruzzo La Aquila Number of Deads: 50 persons Number of Injured persons: 400 persons Number of Missing persons: 8 persons Situation The death toll from a strong earthquake that hit central Italy early Monday has risen to 50, Italian TV reported, quoting Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni. Over 40 others were reported missing after the quake, which was centered in the Abrusso region, the RAI TV reported earlier, quoting civil protection officials. The dead were mainly children the elderly, the report said. RAI TV said an elderly woman and a child were killed in a village east of Rome in the Abruzzo region.

ANSA said four children died in L’Aquila, the quake’s epicenter, after their houses collapsed. Firefighters, volunteers and military personnel were racing against time to search for survivors in collapsed buildings in the quake-hit areas, TV footage showed. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has declared a state of emergency in the country, and cancelled a scheduled visit to Russia, RAI TV reported. Not long after the quake hit at 03:32 a.m. local time (0232 GMT), Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and Berlusconi held an urgent meeting to assess the situation. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3, but Italy’s geophysics authorities put the magnitude at 5.8. According to media reports, part of a university dormitory has collapsed in the city of L’Aguila, some 95 km northeast of Rome. In L’Aguila, power and gas supplies were cut off, and the expressway between the city and Rome was shut down. Thousands of buildings have been damaged by the quake. The dome of a church fell down and the city’s cathedral was also damaged.

The temblor has caused panic among residents in L’Aguila and sent many of them to flee their houses. It was felt in Rome and much of the country. Italian civil protection officials, quoted by Italian media, have warned that thousands of people could be left homeless after the earth movement. The quake came just several hours after a 4.6-magnitude tremor hit north-central Italy Sunday night, which left no damage or injuries. Situation Update No. 18 On 2009-04-06 at 18:50:19 [UTC] Event: Earthquake Location: Italy Abruzzo La Aquila Number of Deads: 130 persons Number of Injured persons: 1500 persons Number of Missing persons: 8 persons Situation A powerful earthquake struck central Italy early on Monday, killing more than 130 people, making up to 50,000 homeless and flattening entire medieval towns while residents slept. As rescue workers combed through the rubble for survivors and rushed to set up tents for the homeless before night fell, officials warned the death toll could rise further and declined to estimate the number of missing.

Most of the dead were in L’Aquila, a 13th century mountain city about 100 km (60 miles) east of Rome, and nearby towns and villages in the Abruzzo region. The quake struck shortly after 3.30 a.m. (0130 GMT) and aftershocks rattled the area throughout the day. “Some towns in the area have been virtually destroyed in their entirety,” said Gianfranco Fini, speaker of the lower house of parliament, as MPs observed a moment of silence. Abruzzo’s regional government said more than 130 people were confirmed dead, some 16 hours after the quake struck with a magnitude of between 5.8 and 6.3. ANSA news agency quoted hospital sources as saying more than 150 people had died. “I woke up hearing what sounded like a bomb,” said L’Aquila resident Angela Palumbo, 87. “We managed to escape with things falling all around us. Everything was shaking, furniture falling.

I don’t remember ever seeing anything like this in my life.” Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi cancelled a trip to Moscow and declared a national emergency, freeing up funds for aid and rebuilding. But he also appeared on the defensive about reports that officials shrugged off a warning about the quake weeks ago. Flying in to the disaster zone, Berlusconi told reporters that now was the time to concentrate on relief efforts and “we can discuss afterwards about the predictability of earthquakes”. Civil Protection Department officials said up to 50,000 people may have been made homeless in some 26 cities and towns. More than 1,500 people were injured and thousands of houses, ancient churches and buildings collapsed or were damaged. Rubble was strewn throughout L’Aquila, a city of 68,000, and nearby towns, blocking roads and hampering rescue teams. Old women wailed and residents armed with only their bare hands helped firefighters and rescue workers tear through the rubble. In the small town of Onna, which was almost entirely razed to the ground, 24 people were killed. A Reuters witness saw a mother and her infant daughter carried away in the same coffin.

Older houses and buildings made of stone, particularly in outlying villages that have not seen much restoration, collapsed like straw houses. Situation Update No. 27 On 2009-04-08 at 03:15:05 [UTC] Event: Earthquake Location: Italy Abruzzo La Aquila Number of Deads: 235 persons Number of Injured persons: 1500 persons Number of Missing persons: 50 persons Situation A 5.6-magnitude aftershock Tuesday evening hit the same central Italian region devastated by Monday’s earthquake, sending people screaming and scrambling for cover. The death toll from Italy’s worst earthquake in three decades has now climbed to 235, with about 1,500 people injured, 100 of them seriously, according to the ANSA news agency. At least 100 people have been pulled from the debris alive, including Eleonora Calesini, a 20-year-old student who was found in the ruins of a five-storey building in central L’Aquila, 42 hours after the quake hit.

“She’s safe!” her grandfather, Renato Calesini, told the Associated Press. Other than an arm injury, she was reported in good condition. Other survivors spoke about their ordeal. “They had to dig to get me out,” said one woman. “I was totally submerged in debris. Only my arms were left exposed.” The aftershock at 7:47 p.m. local time Tuesday demolished structures in the already battered medieval city of L’Aquila and was felt as far away as Rome, where it caused furniture to sway on the upper floors of buildings. Earlier Tuesday, a 4.9-magnitude aftershock briefly halted the frantic search for survivors. Aftershocks are common in the earthquake-prone region. After a 1997 earthquake, the area experienced a three-month stretch of such tremors. Earlier, officials had estimated 50,000 people were left homeless by the quake, the epicentre of which was in L’Aquila, 110 kilometres northeast of Rome in the Apennine mountains. The initial quake struck at 3:32 a.m. local time on Monday as people slept.

By Tuesday evening, the estimate of the number of people without shelter was lowered to between 17,000 and 25,000, because many moved in with friends or relatives. To shelter the homeless against another chilly night in the mountains, the government set up 20 tent cities in open spaces around L’Aquila and surrounding towns. Field kitchens, medical supplies and clowns to entertain traumatized children were brought in. Because there was limited space in the tents, priority was being given to women, children and the elderly, forcing many others to sleep in their cars or travel out of the area. “I don’t know how I’ll make it,” a dazed Pierina Diletti said as she stood in slippers and her nightgown outside her tent. Tony Rambaldini of Montreal — who has owned and operated the Canadian Hotel in L’Aquila for 20 years — spent the night sleeping in his car in his hotel parking lot with his family. “Everyone is scared and afraid to go back [inside] because we’ve been getting lots of aftershocks every hour,” Rambaldini said.

Abruzzo’s Hotel Association made 6,500 hotel beds available across the region as a gesture of solidarity, said association president Emilio Schirato. A total of 4,000 beds were filled by Tuesday afternoon, though there were some people who did not lose their homes who also tried to take advantage of the free hotel rooms, he said. Italian President Silvio Berlusconi surveyed the damage in the region by helicopter Tuesday. Rescue efforts will continue for another 48 hours, Berlusconi told reporters. After that point, the chance of survival for those trapped in the debris will have diminished, he said. “The rescue efforts will continue for another 48 hours from today until it is certain that there is no one else alive,” Berlusconi said. Rescuers had to run from the rubble they were searching as the aftershock hit at 11:26 a.m. Tuesday. The aftershock also struck fear into survivors at the camps and sent many running and crying from the temporary shelters. “It was not too strong, but it was no good,” Tommaso Della Longa, an official with the Red Cross, told CBC News.

Officials said the earthquake damaged or destroyed 10,000 to 15,000 buildings in 26 cities, towns and villages around L’Aquila, a picturesque city of 70,000. Teams were to begin surveying those buildings still standing on Wednesday to assess whether residents could move back in. Shaken survivors told reporters the quake sounded like a bomb in the night as their homes collapsed around them and expressed anguish at not knowing the fate of loved ones. “It’s a catastrophe and an immense shock,” said Renato Di Stefano, who moved his family to one of the camps as a precaution. “It’s struck in the heart of the city. We will never forget the pain.” Rambaldini described what he saw as he walked around the historic downtown core of L’Aquila on Tuesday. “Buildings just split open in half, so what you saw was half a bathroom, half a kitchen,” he said. Rescuers are using cranes and steel clippers to try to look for survivors inside of collapsed buildings, Rambaldini said. “Many of the buildings are very damaged, and a lot of people, I guess, are likely dead under the rubble,” he said.

“It’s not a pleasant sight to see.” Lilly Centofanti waited with her mother on the lawn in front of a partially collapsed university dormitory for word of her 19-year-old brother, Davide, who lived on the third floor. Officials have reported that small villages in the mountainous region have been destroyed by the quake, whose magnitude was measured as 6.3 on the Richter scale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and 5.8 by Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics. “All of a sudden I heard a boom, and all the books and knickknacks fell down,” said Lucia Ferro, a 57-year-old resident who rushed out of her third-floor apartment wearing only pyjamas. “I saw the walls shake, and the table moved by itself.” The wounded were transported to the city’s main St. Salvatore Hospital on Monday, but parts of the building were evacuated out of fear the structure could also collapse. Two operating rooms in the hospital remained open, but more than 300 patients have been transported to nearby facilities while people in more serious condition had to be moved to Rome. Medical staff are still attempting to treat minor injuries in a field hospital.

Determining the identities of some of the victims is difficult because the region attracts migrant agriculture workers, officials said. Meanwhile, rescuers are still trying to reach more isolated hamlets in the region, which have been cut off because of damage to roads and bridges, officials said. Italy’s national police chief, Antonio Manganelli, said several people were arrested overnight for looting abandoned houses. The hardest-hit areas of L’Aquila, as well as the towns of Paganica and Onna, were cordoned off on Tuesday morning to prevent further looting. Survivors were ordered out of buildings out of fear that aftershocks could cause further collapses. Following Tuesday’s aftershock, Berlusconi again asked people to refrain from returning to their homes, even if they were still standing. In L’Aquila, the earthquake damaged or destroyed many Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance landmarks and historic buildings, including churches, museums and castles. Stones also tumbled down from the city’s cathedral, which was rebuilt after a 1703 earthquake.

Nearly half of Italy is labelled “dangerous” in terms of seismic activity, according to a 2008 report by Enzo Boschi, president of the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology, and other Italian geologists and civil protection experts. But only 14 per cent of buildings in that vulnerable swath were built to seismic safety standards, the report said. “It is a serious disaster. Now we must rebuild, and that will require huge sums of money,” said Berlusconi, who declared a state of emergency in the region to free up federal funds to deal with the crisis. Some of Italy’s soccer teams announced on Tuesday that revenue from upcoming matches would be sent to help victims. Universities throughout the country have also taken up collections.

Like this: Italy earthquake death toll rises above 200 as rescuers brave aftershocks | World news | The Guardian Italy earthquake death toll rises above 200 as rescuers brave aftershocks Hopes fade of finding more survivors of Italy's worst earthquake in almost 30 years Tuesday 7 April 2009 07.46 EDT First published on Tuesday 7 April 2009 07.46 EDT Close This article is 7 years old The death toll in Italy's worst earthquake for almost 30 years rose to 207 today, with 15 other people still missing and hopes fading that any more will be uncovered alive in the rubble. The new casualty figure was delivered by the country's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, on his second visit in two days to the severely damaged medieval city of L'Aquila, the capital of the mountainous Abruzzo region, which was close to the epicentre. "The rescue efforts will continue for another 48 hours from today until it is certain that there is no one else alive," Berlusconi said. Of about 1,500 people injured, some 100 were in serious condition.

A handful of survivors from the 6.3-magnitude quake in the early hours of yesterday morning were found alive in the wreckage today. Overnight, rescue workers freed two students and found one body buried in the remains of a university accommodation complex. Firefighters today said they had located four more students trapped in a dormitory, but did not say whether they were alive or dead. Chief firefighter Sergio Basti said rescue crews were evacuating the area around the dormitory because they planned to begin "surgically" removing big chunks of the building in order to reach the four students. Several dozen rescue crews are at the scene of the collapsed building. L'Aquila, which has about 70,000 residents, suffered severe damage to around two-thirds of its buildings, including several architecturally significant churches. Some villages nearby in the central Italian region were all but flattened. In one village, Onna, rescue workers found 39 of the 300inhabitants had been killed. Thousands of emergency workers, who worked through the night under floodlights, were continuing to dig for survivors, hampered by strong aftershocks, one of which was of a 4.9 magnitude.

While firefighters said about 100 people had been rescued from rubble since the quake, they expect to find few more survivors now. One big emergency effort is focused on the L'Aquila student building. The connected four-storey blocks were severely damaged in the quake, with one of the structures leaning at a dangerous angle. A rescue worker was winched into the middle of the building to look for any survivors. However, with aftershocks continuing, emergency teams were deciding whether to press on with an increasingly risky operation or pull out so the site could be demolished and made safe. Some other buildings were already being knocked down today. Much of L'Aquila resembled a ghost town, with only a few locals risking a return – against the advice of safety workers – to try to save some possessions . Police said they had already arrested several people for allegedly looting. Up to 70,000 people are currently unable to live in their homes in the region, although this may be only temporary for some. A total of 17,000 people have lost their homes completely, according to officials.

While several thousand hotel rooms have been requisitioned along the Adriatic coast, many people woke up in tents or their cars after a chilly night in which temperatures dipped to about 6C (43F). "It has been such a hard and long day. Now that we are sitting here in our car, it's all beginning to sink in," Piera Colucci, a L'Aquila resident, told Reuters as she prepared to spend the night in her vehicle. Berlusconi declared a state of emergency and cancelled a trip to Russia yesterday. Already facing a national economic crisis, Berlusconi has pledged about £27m in immediate aid for the area and promised that a new town will be built near L'Aquila in the next two years. The earthquake is the worst to hit Italy since 1980, when 2,735 people were killed in a quake close to Salerno, in the south. The disaster, which also caused widespread damage to nearby Naples, prompted the introduction of new regulations designed to strengthen buildings in the event of an earthquake.

Many of the buildings destroyed in yesterday's tremor appeared to have been built earlier, either in the 1960s and 70s or – in remote villages – during the middle ages. There were questions yesterday about how so many buildings could have been destroyed. Gian Michele Calvi, an earthquake expert at the University of Pavia, said Italy was in the habit of forgetting lessons. "This country is reminded of the risk of earthquakes only when it finds itself under the rubble," he told Corriere della Sera. "The fact that two of three operating rooms at L'Aquila hospital are no longer usable is something not worthy of a civilised country." Scores die as central Italy hit by earthquake | The Week UK Scores die as central Italy hit by earthquake Apr 6, 2009 email At least 50 people, including several children, are known to have died in a large earthquake which hit the mountainous Abruzzo region of central Italy at 3.30 am today. The medieval city of L'Aquila, the regional capital, bore the brunt of the quake, with thousands of buildings damaged and many people trapped in the rubble.

The quake, which could be felt more than 60 miles away in Rome, measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, according to the US Geological Survey. Rafael Abreu of the USGS said it was the second quake in the region over the weekend - the earlier one, on Sunday was much less severe at 4.6 on the Richter scale - and that residents should prepare for after-shocks. There were reported to be scenes of panic in L'Aquila. Massimo Cialente, the city mayor, said some 100,000 people had left their homes. There were fears that the death toll would rise considerably as more rescue workers reach the collapsed and damaged buildings. The city is not one of Italy's most famous or glorious. But it is home to 70,000 people and a university, well known for its engineering faculty: one of the first buildings to be reported destroyed was a university dormitory. Historic buildings at risk from the quake include the massive church of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, with its pink and white stone façade, and the National Museum housed in the 16th century castle, which famously contains the remains of a prehistoric elephant.

However, both survived the earthquake which destroyed much of the city in 1703. Sign up for our daily newsletter Newsletter ‘Feeling’ the Violent Earthquake in Abruzzo, Italy ?!? | 'A Gentle Whisper in Your Ear' 'A Gentle Whisper in Your Ear' ‘Feeling’ the Violent Earthquake in Abruzzo, Italy ?!? 2009-04-13: Exactly a week ago … in the early hours of Monday morning (03:32 hrs local time), 6th April 2009, a violent earthquake hit the central Italian Region of Abruzzo. The quake had a ‘magnitude’ of 6.3 on the Richter Scale … a scale developed by Charles Richter (1900-1985) during the last century, in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg (1889-1960). The high numbers of fatalities and people injured continue, even at this time of writing … seven days later, to rise and rise. Approaching 60,000 people have been left homeless.

It will take many, many years to restore buildings … and much longer than that to restore the delicate social fabric of local communities. It is a remarkable joy to experience the culture, and live among the people of one such small community in the centre of Italy … Amandola (≈ 4,500 inhabitants), which is a typical hilltop town located approximately 70 Km north of L’Aquila (≈ 67,000 inhabitants), capital of the Abruzzo Region. Colour photograph showing the view, taken just a few hours after the Abruzzo Earthquake, looking towards L’Aquila over the snow-capped Sibillini Mountains. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh from within the historical centre of Amandola, 70 Km away. 2009-04-06. Earthquakes between 6.1 and 6.9 on the Richter Scale regularly cause damage in areas up to 100 Kilometres away from the ‘epicentre’ … that point on the earth’s surface located vertically above the place deep within the Earth where the quake originated.

To put local news reports into some context … accurate measurement of dramatically increased levels of natural radon activity in soils, allied with a good understanding of local geology and seismology, can be an important, although not 100% reliable, indicator of what is happening deep underground. Unfortunately, and unlike in Ireland, radon protection of buildings is not taken seriously in Italy … so, not much attention would have been paid to what anybody said about radon activity in the soils around L’Aquila before the ‘big one’ hit ! Tremors from an earthquake, or trembling vibrations, can be felt strongly far away from an epicentre. I know, because I was in Amandola last Monday morning. To be involved in Earthquake Resisting Design is one thing … I am very comfortable with technical issues, facts, concepts, building products, etc. To become intimate, however, with the ‘reality’ of a mother of an Earthquake is altogether different ! Jerked awake in those early hours … the building was rocking, not just swaying. Before reaching full consciousness … too much had already happened. If the building had collapsed, I would never have known what hit me.

But, it didn’t … and there was no internal damage or cracking. I don’t know why … but, I went back to sleep again. Just after 08.00 hrs (local time), phone texts began to arrive from Ireland … “was everybody safe ?”. Something ‘big’ must have happened during the night. I rushed to put on the television news … forget about SKY NEWS, CNN, BBC and that miserable, no-good, laughable excuse for an ‘impartial, balanced and fair’ news service FOX NEWS … the best coverage … and continuous coverage … was on the Italian TV Stations. Tragic scenes … of historical buildings destroyed … expected, because they would not be of modern (reinforced concrete or steel) construction … and, far many more than should be the case, of modern buildings seriously damaged or collapsed like a plate of pancakes … somewhat expected, because of inadequate technical controls over building design and construction in many parts of the country. [Similar scenes of modern, ‘tofu’ construction could be witnessed after the Major Earthquakes in Central China, beginning in May 2008.] Later that morning, I inspected an historical building which I had recently restored … and where I had incorporated earthquake resisting features.

Relief, relief, relief … not a single crack. Travelling back to Rome by car that afternoon, fleets of emergency response vehicles moved swiftly in the opposite direction towards the Earthquake Zone … Italian Regional Guide: Abruzzo | Italy Travel and Life Uncategorized | By Italia Travel & Life Italian Regional Guide: Abruzzo The central Italian region of Abruzzo is bordered by Le Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and tiny Molise to the south… Its eastern side is taken up by a long sweep of Atlantic coastline, more than 100km long, and around a third of the region is made up of nature reserves and national parks, making it one of Italy’s least populated (and most beautiful) regions. It also boasts a good deal of mountainous terrain, with the Apennines running right down the region from north to south. If you’re looking for an Italian base with an abundance of tranquil, natural beauty, punctuated by charming hill-towns (and blessed with an expansive coast), you won’t go too far wrong in Abruzzo. The region is situated in the central Italian earthquake zone and is susceptible to tremors as a result.

The most recent earthquake to hit the region was in 2009 and, although much of the region remained unharmed, some areas – especially those near the epicentre – were badly damaged, including L’Aquila. The recovery process has been slow but now the region is ready to show off its charm to tourists and buyers once again and strongly deserves to be revisited. As with anywhere in Italy, when buying a home in Abruzzo the most important thing is to ensure that your home meets all the legal earthquake-proofing standards. L’AQUILA & THE GRAN SASSO L’Aquila is the region’s capital city, its name comes from the numerous freshwater springs that were found in this area. It is a small city, of around 70,000 inhabitants, which gained international publicity due to the earthquake that hit the area in 2009. The reconstruction process has been slow, partly because of the necessity of recreating the authentic feel of the city while reinforcing the damaged buildings with modern construction techniques to help prevent such a tragedy in the future.

Thanks to tireless effort the city and its surrounding areas have steadily been rebuilt and there isn’t far to go for it to match up to its former condition. This part of the region is a steep and hilly, largely rural area, where the main agriculture industry is sheep farming. Its countryside remains popular for walkers in the summer and is a hub for skiers in the winter. As many new constructions have been designed to limit the possibility of damage from an earthquake now could be considered a time to invest in the area. THE HINTERLAND The hill-towns of Abruzzo’s hinterland are well within reach of both the mountains and the coast, and are popular with both Italian and foreign buyers for this very reason (alongside the fact that they are reasonably affordable and boast some wonderful views). You’ll find some attractive towns here, although most are little-known by tourists, who prefer the lure of the more immediately appealing coastline. Roman remains reveal fascinating evidence of ancient occupation in many of Abruzzo’s hinterland towns. Teramo is a modern town, but has a Roman theatre and a magnificent cathedral. Isolated for centuries due to its remote location, it is now more accessible thanks to the Gran Sasso tunnel and the A24 motorway link.

Further north, a few miles inland from the coast, the historic town of Chieti, with its famous cathedral of San Giustino, was an important Roman and medieval centre. It is located high in the hills, and is a pleasant provincial town offering stunning views of the Gran Sasso and Maiella mountain ranges. Pretty hill-town Loreto Aprutino is 15 miles from the bustle of Pescara, and is a tranquil place set among olive groves with a medieval castle, beautiful palaces, mansions and churches. Yet further inland and further south is Sulmona, a small town with a charming medieval centre, although its origins go back beyond Roman times. This town makes a good base from which to explore the rest of the region and enjoys both pretty architecture and dramatically beautiful mountains on all sides. PESCARA & THE COAST There has been a good deal of investment in Abruzzo’s coastline in recent years, so, as well as hosting the region’s airport (a key destination for budget airline flights), Pescara is also a favourite holiday hot spot for Italians and for a growing number of foreign tourists.

The beach is over 16km long, and you’ll find a range of elegant boutiques and pleasant cafés in the bustling town. Pescara is one of the region’s most expensive areas, but there are many other family-friendly resorts and towns to choose from along the coastline, and the generally good motorway connections and excellent access to amenities ensure their accessibility to visitors all year. Other towns to consider include Ortona, which has several pleasant beaches, and pretty Vasto, further south, which has carved a niche as a tourist centre, featuring Roman-era thermal baths, mosaics and an amphitheatre. Trips 2 Italy | Description and planning guide of L'aquila Abruzzo Italy Packages L'Aquila This description page of L'Aquila, in the Italian region of Abruzzo, will guide you in planning your trip to Italy and help you find useful travel information about this Italian city. The Gran Sasso with its majestic tops plus the Aterno's Valley with its plateaus, forests, coves, lakes, and spring water combine to form a charming natural atmosphere in which the genius of the man has left its tracks with works that defy the centuries. All the places speak about history, art, spirituality and ancient civilization.

The propitious atmosphere for the cult of the tradition is evidenced in its simple cuisine, poetry of the folklore and purity of its handicraft. These are the flavors of L'Aquila earth that will satisfy you. Abruzzo's capital lies at the foot of the Gran Sasso, whose peak, at 9596 ft, is the highest point of the Italian mainland south of the Alps. The medieval L'Aquila is an intriguing town in its own right, as well as making an ideal base for travelling around the rest of Abruzzo . The name means "the eagle", the symbol of empire. In fact the city was founded by Emperor Frederick II in 1240 as a bulwark against the popes. Create your Vacation Tommaso's L'Aquila Travel Tips The Fontana Luminosa, a fountain located in the center of one of L'Aquila's most important piazzas, is a breathtaking work of art from which it is possible to admire stunning panoramas of the Gran Sasso mountain.

Tommaso's L'Aquila Travel Tips Tour In Abruzzo | Abruzzo Tours | Tour Abruzzo twitter Abruzzo Tours Tour in Abruzzo, a Central Italian region with the majestic Appenine mountain range to the West and the sparkling Adriatic coastline to the East. Abruzzo or Abruzzi: So good they named it twice. From the alpine peaks of the Gran Sasso, to the wild wolves in the national park; from its craggy medieval hill towns, to its 120 miles of Adriatic coastline – this region has everything the italophile could wish for. It is an area, mostly hilly and mountainous, with lush valleys, interesting little villages to discover, and vineyards to sample. Abruzzo is still one of the lesser known regions of Italy, so you can leisurely wander around without the large tourist crowds found in other regions of Italy. It is a place to learn everything from history to wine tasting with our unique Abruzzo tours. Tour in Abruzzo and Discover: L’Aquila San Salvo The Fucino Valley and More!

The mountainside town of L’Aquila is artistically important and, thankfully, many wonderful examples of art and architecture survived the earthquake in 2009. Of note are the magnificent Basilica di San Bernardino and a 16th Century castle. Not forgetting the region’s wonderful coastline of course, beach lovers will enjoy the pretty towns of Pescara, Tortoreto, San Salvo and others. Activities throughout the year are limitless – mountaineering, climbing, horse riding, sailing, fishing and windsurfing are some that are on offer. Cycle trails through pine woods and beech groves are also very popular. The territory of the four provinces of Abruzzo is divided into a varied landscape…the province of L’Aquila is characterized by majestic mountains; in Chieti, hills dominate the area, while Pescara and Teramo are both mountainous and hilly. The capital of Abruzzo is L’Aquila (‘The Eagle’). On the coast of Abruzzo, Pescara is one of the most popular locations and is also the birthplace of Gabriele D’Annunzio.

Abruzzo is full of natural treasures and folk traditions, such as the odd but intriguing “festival of the serpents” in Cocullo, which brings thousands of people to this tiny village on the first Sunday of May. During the winter, the Abruzzo mountains offer snow lovers numerous possibilities for downhill, cross-country, alpine sluing, skiing and snowboarding. The highest number of winter resorts can be found in the L’Aquila province, but the Teramo side of Gran Sasso and the Majella also offer a good level of facilities. Those wishing to discover wonderful archaeological ruins are well served – the Fucino Valley is an outstanding area to discover. The ancient Roman city of Alba Fucens can be found close to Monte Velino – here you will find the remnants of Roman villas and a necropolis. It is clear then that the Abruzzo region is very much an all year round destination and has the advantage of being, as yet, largely undiscovered by mass-tourism. Your Friend In Italy will help you indulge all of your senses. We invite you to experience the true heart of Italy with our tours in Abruzzo and the rest of Italy!

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Question: L'Aquila, scene of the 2009 earthquake, is the capital of which central Italian region?
Answer: Abruzzo