This morning we woke up to terrible news: in the early hours of Tuesday to Wednesday a earthquake of magnitude 6.2 it had shaken the center of Italy, causing a large number of deaths, in addition to many material damages. The last provisional balance offered by Civil Protection amounts to 73 deceased. And, although the magnitude of the earthquake has not been tremendous, it must be borne in mind that all the houses in the area are old. Furthermore, having occurred at night, most people were sleeping. So there have been so many victims.
One of the most affected places has been Amatrice, a medieval town of about 2,600 inhabitants belonging to the province of Rieti, in the Lazio region. For many, it was one of the most beautiful towns in the country, both for its rich natural, artistic and architectural heritage. Today we want to tell you what Amatrice was like before the earthquake and how she has been after this natural disaster.
The Lazio region
The earthquake and the successive aftershocks that took place this morning in central Italy have destroyed dozens of districts and neighborhoods of towns and small cities located in the Central Apennine range. The Lazio region, where the earthquake has taken place, is one of the most beautiful of all country. On the one hand, it should be noted that in this place is the Gran Sasso National Park and Montes de Laga, one of the largest natural parks in Italy, where you can see a spectacular landscape in which there are no missing slopes, mountains of vertigo and cows grazing freely. In addition, it hides beautiful towns.
Amatrice, the cradle of spaghetti at amatriciana
As we have mentioned before, one of the towns that has suffered the most from the earthquake has been Amatrice, the cradle of one of the best-known dishes in Italy: spaghetti a la amatriciana. In fact, next weekend the 50th edition of a fair dedicated to this pasta dish was going to be held in the town, an event that was going to attract many tourists. Apparently the Hotels were complete. Of course, beyond the spaghetti, the town had a lot to offer the traveler. In fact, it is part of the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy, an association that integrates 244 towns scattered throughout the country and which aims to promote and preserve them.
Important historical and architectural heritage
With an important history behind it, it preserved in good condition some important architectural monuments, many of which were built between the 13th and 18th centuries. Thus, buildings of different styles could be seen: Baroque, Gothic, Renaissance ... On the other hand, it must be borne in mind that Amatrice was also known for her churches. Of all of them the Basilica of San Francisco stood out, located very close to the Town Hall.
Practically destroyed
According to the information that reaches us from Italy, in addition to regretting the loss of numerous neighbors, the inhabitants of Amatrice have seen how their town has been practically destroyed. For example, the historic center has been badly touched. In addition, it seems that 70% of the houses have collapsed and that the main street is completely shattered. Another town that has been badly damaged after the earthquake is Accumoli, whose origins date back to the 12th century. It is a town that has around 600 inhabitants but that has numerous tourist attractions, such as the 12th century Civic Tower.
Italy Earthquake: ancient villages destroyed, aftershocks continue (April 2024)
- towns
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