Tremors in gardens of Castel Sant’ Angelo
by Caroline Prosser (staff) | Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
Castel Sant' Angelo, Anthony Smith
A small earthquake tremor struck Rome yesterday afternoon with the epicentre the gardens at Castel Sant’Angelo, a stone’s throw away from the Vatican. At around 14.44, seismographs at the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology registered a movement of 2.1 on the Richter scale which was felt in Rome and its border communes of Ciampino and Frascati. Scientists said the movement occurred 10 kilometres under the ground – so no need for panic.
The Castel Sant’ Angelo museum was at the time full of tourists, however civil protection authorities reported that no structures were damaged nor people injured.
“Historically, in Rome there have never been great earthquakes – said Giulio Selvaggi, director of the institute - the seismic danger is low and there are no worrying fault lines. It is Appenine earthquakes that create the biggest problems”. However Selvaggi did admit that a full survey of Rome’s centre is “difficult, because signs on the surface are confused and covered-up by layers of building”. The institute says 180 people reported the quake on their website www.haisentitoilterremoto.it.
