Medieval records shed light on Italian earthquakes

When a damaging earthquake struck the area of L’Aquila in central Italy in 2009, it was the latest in the region’s long history of strong and persistent quakes. The rich recorded history of settlement in the area, along with oral traditions, archaeological excavations, inscriptions and medieval texts, and offer insight into how often the region might expect destructive earthquakes. But according to a new study by Emanuela Guidoboni and colleagues, the historical record on ancient and medieval earthquakes comes with its own shortcomings that must be addressed before the seismic history of L’Aquila can be useful in assessing the current seismic hazard in this area.

 Their article, ”Ancient and Medieval Earthquakes in the Area of L’Aquila (Northwestern Abruzzo, Central Italy), A.D. 1-1500: A Critical Revision of the Historical and Archaeological Data” appears in this month’s issue of the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America.

Click here to read the full article from Medievalists.net

Italian scientists go on trial over L'Aquila quake

A group of Italian scientists went on trial Tuesday for failing to predict an earthquake that killed more than 300 people in central Italy in 2009 despite signs of increased seismic activity in the area.

The seven defendants -- six scientists and one government official -- are accused of manslaughter in a case that some see as an unfair indictment of science.

Prosecutors say residents around the city of L'Aquila in the mountainous Abruzzo region should have been warned to flee their homes in the days before the quake. "We simply want justice," L'Aquila prosecutor Alfredo Rossini told reporters.

The injured parties are asking for 50 million euros ($68 million) in damages.

Click here to read this article from AFP

Click here to read an earlier article about the earthquake

15th-century Fresco discovered in ruins of L'Aquila earthquake

People in the quake-hit mountain village of Onna, near l'Aquila, are talking of a miracle after officials announced Wednesday the discovery of a 15th-century fresco during work on a church.

The discovery came during renovation work in the village, reduced to rubble by the devastating April 6 earthquake, which also killed 40 of its inhabitants.

"While clearing away the walls of the San Pietro Apostolo Church on Tuesday, coloured elements appeared," Luciano Marchetti, the civil protection official responsible for cultural artefacts in L'Aquila, told AFP.

Careful probing uncovered a fresco of more than four square metres, he added.

The work, hidden under a layer of plaster, was the first to be uncovered by the shock of the earthquake.

It is particularly interesting to the experts because unusually, it depicts the Virgin Mary above the figure of Christ. The two figures are surrounded by angels gathering their blood.




"It's a beautiful slice of history that we have had brought to light," said Marchetti.

"We hope that the renovation of the churches will bring us a lot of other finds of this kind," he added.

The earthquake, in the central Abruzzo region, claimed nearly 300 lives in the region and damaged some 1,500 churches, many of them dating back to the Middle Ages.

Recovery begins in L'Aquila after its Earthquake

The historical area of medieval L'Aquila, devastated by an earthquake earlier this month, will be rebuilt as quickly as possible, Abruzzo region President Gianni Chiodi said last week.

Chiodi told a television news show that by October or latest by November, comfortable lodgings will be found for the homeless who are currently housed in tent camps.

The civil protection department has done an "amazing job" in handling the first phase of the emergency, said Chiodi, stressing that the second phase will involve finding "more comfortable" lodgings for those camped out in tents or hotels on the Abruzzo coast.

"The third phase will be reconstruction of L'Aquila's historic centre and planning a series of initiatives for the city's future, including its role as a university centre, new industrial activities and revitalising businesses," he said. "There was widespread recognition for the way the first phase (of the emergency) was handled. We've got to be just as good with the second and third phases."

A 100-strong culture ministry team yesterday began a full inventory of churches, historic buildings and their contents in the Italian region of Abruzzo, after rescue workers called off their search for survivors of the devastating earthquake.

A culture ministry official said that at least 500 historic churches had been damaged or razed to the ground. "We are now shifting paintings, confessional booths and other objects from damaged churches to a depositary to start restoration work," said Anna Maria Reggiani, regional director for the ministry.

Augusto Cicciotti, an architect working with the ministry team amid the collapsed buildings in L'Aquila, said restoration costs could reach euros 100 million. Culture minister Sandro Bondi said restoration work would be "gigantic".

Damaged churches in L'Aquila include Sant'Agostino, the dome of which collapsed onto a government office housing the city's historical archive. The removal of rare documents, including the 13th century charter granting city status to L'Aquila, began yesterday.

Cicciotti cited the recovery of the 700 year old bones of Pope Celestine V from the damaged church of Santa Maria di Collemaggio as hugely important, while Reggiani said she hoped the city's churches could be restored as they were.

Meanwhile, a team from the culture ministry was set to recover medieval manuscripts from the rubble of L'Aquila's state archives following Monday's earthquake.

The prefecture that housed the archives was completely flattened by the cupola of the next door 18th-century Baroque church of St Augustine in the disaster.

The culture ministry said the operation will involve recovering around four kilometres of shelves of manuscripts, books and rare documents, which will be taken to the state archives in the Abruzzo town of Sulmona for safe-keeping.