Italy Rocked By Powerful Earthquake

Amatrice, Italy. Photo: Natsag

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake about 80 miles north of Rome has rocked the Central Italian regions of Lazio, Marche and Umbria, leaving at least 120 dead. Flights to and from the country have not been affected, though the quake could be felt in Rome. 

The tremor, which began at 3:36 a.m. local time, virtually destroyed Amatrice, home of the venerable all’amatriciana pasta sauce, which had been gearing up for the 50th anniversary of a festival honoring the dish scheduled for this weekend. 

“The town is no more,” Amatrice’s mayor told CNN. “We have access roads to the town cut off and people under the rubble. Help us!”

The three Central Italy regions were reportedly devastated by the quake and aftershocks, which were felt as far as Bologna in the north and Naples in the south. Accumoli, Arquata del Tronto and Pescara del Tronto also reported heavy damage. 

“It’s truly a terrible situation,” said Michelle Duncan, president and CEO of Odyssey Travel Inc. “I called Tauck this morning to check in, as my guests are due to arrive later this week. Their emergency response team took my cell phone as an additional backup so they could reach me as soon as any decision is made regarding the tour. This way I can immediately take action on my guests’ behalf. Agents and suppliers working together makes traveling work! Prayers to those affected in Italy.”

At Enlightened Journeys Travel, Theresa Jackson, who has clients leaving for Italy tonight, was on the phone with her DMC to check that all tours, transfers, transportation, and accommodations were still set. “They are not in the affected arso my clients are all good so far,” she reported.

Collette reached out to all its tour managers in Italy, where it had several groups, to ensure that everyone was safe and accounted for, said EVP Paula Twidale. They were, and all tours are proceeding as scheduled, she said, though with aftershocks expected, “our emergency management team will continue to monitor events and advise if any future travel plans are affected.”

And Andrea Grisdale, owner of Italy specialist IC Bellagio, who is based in Bellagio in northern Italy, said she is trying to connect with hotels in the region that her company uses. She confirmed from her sources that the villages hit the most are Pescara del Tronto, Accumoli and Amatrice. 

Grisdale said the village of Norcia, which has been name in media reports, did not get hit too badly and a top hotel, Palazzo Seneca, was not damaged. She said the Lazio region is requesting blood donors and the U.S. Consulate is asking U.S. citizens to advise their loved ones that they are okay.

Globus also told Travel Market Report that no operations were affected and all its itineraries are operating normally.

Additional reporting by James Shillinglaw 

Do you have a story to share about how you helped clients in Italy? We’d love to hear it. Email crosen@travelmarketreport.com.