Dear Mr Editor,
the shocking night of 24 August 2016 will be forever etched in our hearts and minds. At 3.36am, a terrible earthquake devastated central Italy and triggered a series of seismic events that had destructive effects in the months that followed, involving a vast area: 8,000 square kilometres, 4 regions, 138 municipalities.
On the ninth anniversary of that dramatic night, we want to remember those who are no longer with us, and our thoughts go out once again to the victims’ families. We renew our thanks to all the rescuers who, from the very onset of the tragedy, worked tirelessly to save as many lives as possible and help those in need. Italy will never forget their heroism and the extraordinary stories of solidarity that were written by our people over those hours and days.
Today, the seismic crater is Europe’s largest construction site, and it is not just homes, public buildings, churches and factories that are being rebuilt. The life of an entire community is also being reconstructed, a community devastated by an event that changed the face of their villages, towns and local areas forever. Even before the earthquake, those places were facing problems typical of inland areas, from the demographic crisis to hydrogeological fragility, requiring concrete responses. This is why the Government has worked with such determination and tenacity over these years to decisively speed up the post-earthquake reconstruction work, after too many delays and false starts.
This step change can be seen in the figures: funds granted for private reconstruction have reached EUR 11 billion, with disbursements exceeding EUR 6.1 billion, up by 37.41% compared with last year; 60% of these disbursements have been carried out since 2023. Then there is the issue of public reconstruction work, with more than 3,500 interventions worth over EUR 4.5 billion, which remained in a limbo of indecisiveness for the first years following the earthquake. That reconstruction work is finally moving forward: for over 33.8% of interventions, there is now an approved project, or procedures have already begun to award the respective contracts; for 18.2%, work is underway; and, for 16.2%, work has been completed. The first four months of 2025 already saw the launch of 439 of the estimated 1,200 construction sites.
We will continue to work, with determination and tenacity, to respond to that “request for a future” being asked of us by those who were born and raised in those areas and want to go back to living there. For the future is born where there is life and a soul, for those who remained and for those who returned or would like to. Staying and going back are not just personal matters; they are not acts of immobility or nostalgia. They are a choice, a vision, an act of care, a desire to build. Staying in those areas does not mean being left behind but rather taking on the responsibility of guiding them by the hand and carrying them forward. Going back is about the desire to help them flourish again, starting from the things a person knows best and that have shaped their deepest identity.
This is the underlying principle of the strategy the Government is implementing through all its branches, under the coordination of Commissioner Castelli and the ‘2016 Earthquake’ Commission. A great team effort with a specific goal: to successfully overcome the challenge of economic and social revival in the Central Apennines.
[Courtesy translation]