I would like to answer all the messages I have received asking whether my family and friends were involved in the earthquake in L’Aquila. Thanks everyone for the interest!
My family lives in Tortoreto, which is a small town on the Adriatic coast, about 100 km far from the epicentre of the earthquake. My parents were only woken up by the vibrations and spent the rest of the night in their caravan, but the distance was enough to avoid any damage there.
Many of my friends who live in L’Aquila, however, are without a roof now: the lucky ones are sleeping at some relatives or in hotels, the unlucky ones are sleeping in tents. At least all of them seem to be in good health and relatively confident about the future.
What makes me sad is to see the city where I studied for six years transformed into a sort of city of ghosts. I am sincerely sorry for all the victims of the earthquake. But I know that people from L’Aquila are strong, and I am sure they will manage to recover from this disaster.