Premier Paolo Gentiloni
visited the Umbrian town of Norcia on Friday to mark the
six-month anniversary of the start of an earthquake emergency
that has brought death and destruction to central regions.
Gentiloni expressed satisfaction after visiting 18 temporary
homes delivered in San Pellegrino di Norcia to people affected
by the quakes.
"An extraordinary job has been done in a very fast time frame
and that induces us, on one hand, to be optimistic, and on the
other, to be fast everywhere," he said.
"This is an example".
People in many parts say promised help to get their lives
back to normal has not been coming quick enough.
The earthquake emergency begun on August 24 when a
6.0-magnitude tremor killed 299 people in the Lazio towns of
Amatrice and Accumoli and the nearby Marche town of Arquata del
Tronto.
There were more quakes in October, including, a 6.5-magnitude
quake near Norcia, the biggest since 1980.
A fresh round of quakes on January 18 also triggered an
avalanche that hit the Rigopiano Hotel in the Abruzzo mountains,
claiming 29 lives.
"Here there is the desire to get busy and start over, people
are tenacious and hard working," Umbria Governor Catiuscia
Marini wrote in a post to Facebook ahead of the premier's visit.
"Come on Valnerina, come on Umbria, we can do it!" she added.
On Friday Amatrice Mayor Sergio Pirozzi laid a wreath in
memory of the townspeople who died on August 24, thanking "the
world" for its support over the last six months.
"I hope this August 24 there will be a different Amatrice,
with houses rather than rubble, and where hope returns," he
said.
Meanwhile farmers' association Coldiretti said sales have
dropped by 90% in the earthquake zones.
Also on Friday it emerged that Pope Francis has donated
15,000 euros through his almoner Monsignor Konrad Krajewski to
an earthquake-struck farmer near Ascoli Piceno to enable him to
buy new machinery.
The donation comes on top of the purchase by Monsignor
Krajewski on February 21 of 11,000 euros worth of typical local
products for distribution in Rome soup kitchens.
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