Five years ago the 'infinite' earthquake in Central Italy

At 3:36 am on August 24, 2016

a 6.0 magnitude earthquake devastated the municipalities of Amatrice, Accumoli (Rieti) and Arquata del Tronto (Ascoli Piceno). It is the beginning of what the Ingv will define the Amatrice-Norcia-Visso seismic sequence. The epicenter is between Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto, two municipalities a few kilometers away between Lazio and Marche. Pescara del Tronto, a hamlet of Arquata, is practically razed to the ground. 299 victims remain under the rubble: 237 in Amatrice, 51 in Arquata (almost all in the Pescara hamlet) and 11 in Accumoli. It is the peak of the tourist season, in the affected areas there are visitors and former residents who have returned to their second homes for the summer season. Huge damage to homes, public buildings, businesses, roads, cultural assets not only in the three municipalities, but also in neighboring centers,and also in Umbria (the same night a 5.4 magnitude quake was recorded in Norcia) and Abruzzo. The first evacuees are welcomed in the hotels of San Benedetto del Tronto (Ascoli Piceno), along the coast. A list of 62 Municipalities included in the seismic crater is drawn up.

 - 4 OCTOBER 2016 -

Surprisingly Pope Francis visits the affected areas: his images in front of the ruins of Amatrice and Pescara del Tronto go around the world - 26 October 2016 - Two shocks with epicenter between the Municipalities of Visso, Ussita and Castelsantangelo sul Nera (Macerata), devastate the area of ​​the Umbrian-Marche Apennines: the first at 19:11 with magnitude 5.4 and the second at 21:18 with magnitude 5.9.

There is also damage and collapses in the surrounding areas.

In Camerino a bell tower hits a house: at the time of the collapse there is no one, the occupants had left after the first quake.

 - 30 OCTOBER 2016 -

At 7:40 a shock of magnitude 6.5, the strongest recorded in Italy after the earthquake in Irpinia, with its epicenter between Norcia, Preci (Perugia) and Castelsantangelo sul Nera (Macerata), collapses the basilica of San Benedetto in Norcia, destroys the hamlet of Castelluccio di Norcia and worsens the damage reported throughout the area up to Arquata del Tronto and Amatrice. The hospitals of Tolentino (Macerata) and Amandola (Fermo) are uninhabitable. The earthquake movement is felt throughout Italy, as far as Austria and along the Balkan coast. There are no victims, but the number of damaged municipalities rises to 131, the seismic crater includes Marche, Lazio, Umbria, Abruzzo and the displaced are tens of thousands. The quake also causes hydrogeological effects on the flow of the Nera river and a rift on Mount Carrier.

 - 18 JANUARY 2017 -

Four tremors shake the earth in Abruzzo, in the province of L'Aquila: the first at 10:25 with a magnitude of 5.1 with its epicenter in Montereale; the second of magnitude 5.5 at 11:14 with its epicenter in Capitignano; the third at 11:25 of 5.4 with the epicenter in Pizzoli; the fourth of magnitude 5.0 at 14:33 with its epicenter in Cagnano Amiterno. There are other damages and collapses, including that of the bell tower of the church of Sant'Agostino in Amatrice: there have been abundant snowfalls and one person dies in the collapse of a stable. At 5:40 pm an avalanche hits the Rigopiano Hotel in Farindola (Pescara), where 40 people are trapped: 11 survivors, 29 victims.

 - 11 APRIL 2018 -

A quake of magnitude 4.6, the most powerful since November 2016 in the Macerata area, with its epicenter 2 km from Muccia (Macerata), at a depth of 9 km, wakes the inhabitants who pour into the street and is also felt in other locations in the Marche.

 - 16 JULY 2021 -

Two earthquakes, the first of magnitude 2.6 and the second of 3.6 are recorded in the Norcia area by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.

According to some witnesses they are receded by a roar.