As people gather in Amatrice on Monday for a mass marking the 10th anniversary of the earthquake that devastated the hilltop town and nearby communities, killing 303 and leaving thousands homeless, politicians and public figures will pay their respects. But for many, their words will offer little comfort: a decade on, much of Amatrice—whose historic center was destroyed by the 6.0 magnitude quake—is still being rebuilt, and more than half of its roughly 2,100 residents continue to live in temporary housing.
“They’ll put on a good show, bow their heads and say, ‘We did a lot,'” said Sonia Santarelli, president of Comitato Civico 3e36, a grassroots group formed right after the disaster. “But nobody will stick their neck out. They’ll say the reconstruction is going well… but how can that be when so many people are living in homes that are unfit to live in?”
A report released last week by ActionAid Italy highlighted serious delays in rebuilding Amatrice and other areas damaged by the earthquake. According to the findings, as of April 2026, construction on roughly two-thirds of the planned public projects had not yet started, rising to seven in ten in the hardest-hit areas. Around €4.85bn (£4.15bn) has been set aside for the work, the report said.
The earthquake struck in the early hours of 24 August 2016, with tremors felt as far away as Rome. Santarelli, who owns an agriturismo (a farm stay) in the hamlet of Torrita near Amatrice, remembers being woken by a loud blast and the sound of buildings collapsing. Almost nothing was left of the hamlet, she said, but fortunately no one there died.
Santarelli counts herself lucky that she wasn’t left homeless either. Comitato Civico 3e36—named after the exact time the quake hit, 3:36am—was set up to defend the affected communities and ensure citizens have a voice in the rebuilding process.
Prefabricated housing villages were set up across 41 sites in the affected areas. The wooden homes are cramped and especially stifling in the heat. “The heat and humidity crush you,” said Santarelli. What’s more, she claimed, they are undignified places to die, because the limited space makes it hard to move coffins around. Residents have also complained that the rooms are too small for traditional wakes.
Some of those displaced are still paying mortgages on homes that no longer exist. “You can’t make people live in these conditions for so long,” said Santarelli. “There’s still so much work to be done.”
Completed projects in Amatrice include a school and a few buildings in the historic center. Construction of a new hospital is nearly finished and could open in 2027, provided it is fully equipped and staffed.
There are many reasons for the slow reconstruction. Matteo Renzi, who was prime minister at the time of the quake, had promised to rebuild the towns as they were. Renzi resigned at the end of 2016 after losing a referendum, and since then Italy has had five different governments, each appointing commissioners to oversee the rebuild.
As with previous major earthquakes, such as the one that hit L’Aquila in 2009, reconstruction has been bogged down by bureaucracy, legal disputes, and the sheer complexity of rebuilding historic centers in mountainous areas.
Much of the pressure falls on the mayor. Giorgio Cortellesi, elected in 2021, said reconstruction efforts were hampered by the Covid pandemic and then by a government eco-renovation scheme. That scheme was meant to revive the post-pandemic economy but instead drove up the cost of building materials and lured construction workers away to more profitable projects.Profitable jobs exist in other parts of Italy.
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The mayor of Amatrice, Giorgio Cortellesi, points to one of the destroyed buildings nearly 10 years after the disaster. Photograph: Crispian Balmer/Reuters
Cortellesi, an engineer who was determined to help rebuild Amatrice after miraculously finding his two sons alive during a desperate search through the rubble in the dark, said reconstruction has sped up over the past couple of years.
However, he admitted there is “a significant housing emergency,” made worse by construction companies renting out homes for their staff, which in turn pushes up rents for local residents. He said the council is working to take back some of those properties.
As for the prefabricated villages, which are nearing the end of their 10-year warranty, they will need to be taken down and their residents moved into their rebuilt homes. “They will return to their homes, which will be the safest in Italy and the most energy efficient,” Cortellesi said, but he did not give a timeline for when this would happen.
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Those living in the prefab temporary homes in Amatrice say they are not unsuitable for long-term use. Photograph: © ActionAid
Amatrice’s population has dropped over the past decade, with many people moving elsewhere for better opportunities. But there is also a resilience among those who have stayed.
Sergio Pirozzi, who was mayor at the time of the disaster, is one of them. Within minutes of the earthquake striking, he captured the devastation in a few stark words: “Half of the town is gone.”
A football coach, Pirozzi had been at a dinner marking the 50th anniversary of the local team a few hours before. “Of those who I was with that night, 36 died and there were others who lost their wives and children. It is not something I will ever overcome,” he said.
And yet, despite also having to live with the delays and frustrations of rebuilding, Pirozzi’s attachment to Amatrice is undiminished: “For me, even today, this is the most beautiful place in the world.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the scenario of residents frustrated with the slow reconstruction after the 2016 Italian earthquake
General Questions
1 Which earthquake are you talking about
We are talking about the series of major earthquakes that struck central Italy in August and October 2016 The most devastating ones hit Accumoli Amatrice Norcia and surrounding villages killing hundreds of people and destroying entire towns
2 Why is the reconstruction taking so long
Its a combination of factors the area is full of ancient fragile buildings that are hard to restore there are complex bureaucratic rules for getting permits and there have been issues with funding and political delays Also some towns are in landslideprone areas which requires extra safety work
3 Where are the residents living now
Many residents are living in temporary SAE housing which are prefabricated wooden houses Others are living in rented apartments with relatives or in hotels along the coast
4 Are people actually moving back to their original homes
Very few have moved back to their original homes As of a few years after the quake the percentage of people permanently returned is very low Many have started new lives elsewhere and the slow pace makes it hard to plan a return
5 Is the delay just about money
No money is only part of the problem Even when funds are available the process is slowed down by strict anticorruption checks the need to preserve historical architecture and a shortage of skilled local construction workers
The Frustration Impact
6 Why are residents so frustrated specifically
They are frustrated because they feel forgotten They are paying taxes but their towns are still ghost towns They are tired of living in temporary containers years later and they see a lack of urgency from the government It feels like a broken promise to rebuild better and faster
7 What is the biggest daily problem for residents
The lack of community When you live scattered in different temporary housing or cities you lose your local bar the church the piazza and your neighbors The social fabric of the town is gone even if the physical bricks are eventually rebuilt
8 How has this affected local businesses
Most small businesses were
