Major earthquakes in Italy 1456-2023, by magnitude
Italy is located close to the border between the Eurasian and the African tectonic plates, which makes it a high seismic risk area. The two strongest earthquakes in Italian history occurred on the island of Sicily in the south of the country, in 1683 and 1908, with a magnitude of 7.4 and 7.5, respectively.
In the 2000s, the most destructive earthquakes in the country were recorded in L'Aquila, Abruzzo, in 2009, and in Norcia, Umbria and Amatrice, Lazio, in 2016, with magnitudes above six.