Amatrice's Slow Reconstruction Haunts Italy's Quake Towns

As residents gather in Amatrice on Monday for a mass marking the 10th anniversary of the earthquake that devastated the central Italian town, the Guardian reports that the reconstruction is far from complete. According to the newspaper, as of April, two-thirds of planned public projects in Amatrice had yet to begin, rising to seven in 10 in the hardest-hit areas.

The 2016 quake struck on 24 August, killing 299 people across the central Apennines, including 235 in Amatrice alone. The Guardian's report, published on the eve of the anniversary, paints a picture of a town still waiting for the state to deliver on its promises of rebuilding.

For the neighbouring region of Abruzzo, the news carries a particular weight. The 2009 earthquake that destroyed much of L'Aquila, the regional capital, left scars that are still visible in the city's slow and contested reconstruction, and the Guardian's account of Amatrice's struggles resonates across the mountain communities that share the same seismic fault lines.