Italy is a volcanically very active country, containing the only recently active volcanoes in mainland Europe. The country's volcanism is related to complex tectonic interactions along the boundary between the Eurasian and the African tectonic plates.
Three main clusters of volcanism exist: a line of volcanic centers running northwest along the central part of the Italian mainland (including the Campanian volcanic arc to which Vesuvius and the Campi Flegrei belong); a cluster in the northeast of Sicily (Etna and the Eolian Islands); and another cluster around the Mediterranean island of Pantelleria.
Date | Volcano | VEI | Region | Deaths | Damage | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stromboli Summit craters and Sciara del Fuoco | 2 | Eolian Islands, Italy | ||||
Etna Summit activity (mostly: Southeast crater complex; intermittent activity at Voragine and NE craters, sub-terminal effusive flank vents) | 2 | Sicily, Italy | ||||
2022 Dec 4 (eruption | Stromboli | 2 | Eolian Islands, Italy | Info | ||
2022 Oct 9 (eruption | Stromboli | 2 | Eolian Islands, Italy | Info | ||
Etna New Southeast Crater (NSEC) | 3 | Sicily, Italy | ||||
2021 May 19 (eruption | Stromboli | 2 | Eolian Islands, Italy | |||
2019 Aug 28 (eruption | Stromboli | 2 | Eolian Islands, Italy | Info | ||
2019 Jul 3 (eruption | Stromboli | 2 | Eolian Islands, Italy | 1 | Info | |
2018 Dec 26 (eruption | Etna | 2 | Sicily, Italy | very heavy | Info | |
2017 Mar 15 (eruption | Etna | 0 | Sicily, Italy | Info | ||
Etna Bocca Nuova (BN) | 3 | Sicily, Italy | ||||
Etna SEC (South-East Crater) | 1 | Sicily, Italy | ||||
Etna East base of NE Crater (3000-2650 m) | 1 | Sicily, Italy | ||||
Etna Bocca Nuova, SE Crater and flank vents | 2 | Sicily, Italy | ||||
Etna SE Crater & flank vents; NE Crater | 2 | Sicily, Italy | ||||
Etna Bocca Nuova | 1 | Sicily, Italy | ||||
Etna SE Crater, SE flank (3000-2320 m) | 1 | Sicily, Italy | ||||
Etna Central Crater | 1? | Sicily, Italy | ||||
Etna NE Crater | 1 | Sicily, Italy | ||||
Etna Central Crater, NE Crater | 1 | Sicily, Italy | ||||
Etna NE Rift (3100-1900 m), S flank (2850-2600 m) | 3 | Sicily, Italy | ||||
2002 Dec 30 (eruptive episode | Stromboli | 0 | Eolian Islands, Italy | light | Info | |
2002 Oct 28 (eruption | Etna | 3 | Sicily, Italy | moderate | Info | |
2001 Oct 20 (eruption | Stromboli | 2 | Eolian Islands, Italy | 1 | Info | |
Etna S to NE flanks (3100-2100 m) | 2 | Sicily, Italy | ||||
Etna Central Crater, NE Crater, SE Crater | 3 | Sicily, Italy | ||||
2001 Jul 26 (eruption | Etna | 2 | Sicily, Italy | light | Info | |
2001 May 14 (eruption | Etna | 3 | Sicily, Italy | 1 | light | Info |
The last volcanic eruption in Italy was from Etna volcano. It began in 2022 and is continuing (as of May 2025).
The first historically documented eruption occurred around 1500 BC from Etna volcano.
Since 1500 BC, Italy has seen at least 289 historically documented eruptions. This means that a volcano erupts on average every 12.2 years.
Italy is volcanically extremely active: Since 1900, at least 3 volcanoes in Italy have been active. Every year, at least one volcano has been in eruption in Italy. The latest eruption from Etna volcano volcano is still continuing at present.
The largest eruption in Italy in historic times was from Vesuvius volcano. It occurred during 1631 AD - 1632 AD. It ranks as a plinian eruption with a magnitude 5 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale. Eruption of this size are often catastrophic on a regional scale.
Date and Time | Mag / Depth | Nearest Volcano / Location | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apr 28, 08:40 pm (GMT +1) | 2.9 10 km | 291 km (181 mi) E of | Ionian Sea, 136 km southeast of Crotone, Provincia di Crotone, Calabria, Italy I FELT IT | Info | |
Apr 28, 08:39 pm (GMT +1) | 3.6 169 km | 37 km (23 mi) SE of | Tirreno Meridionale (MARE) I FELT IT | Info | |
Apr 28, 12:06 pm (GMT +2) | 3.8 10 km | 365 km (227 mi) NE of | Albania I FELT IT - 1 report | Info | |
Sunday, April 27, 2025 GMT (1 quake) | |||||
Apr 27, 05:21 pm (GMT +1) | 3.4 5 km | 121 km (75 mi) SW of | Tyrrhenian Sea, 41 km north of Palermo, Palermo, Sicily, Italy I FELT IT | Info | |
Friday, April 25, 2025 GMT (2 quakes) | |||||
Apr 25, 04:59 pm (GMT +1) | 2.9 12 km | 180 km (112 mi) SE of | Central Mediterranean Sea I FELT IT | Info | |
Apr 25, 01:10 pm (Rome) | 2.7 10 km | 180 km (112 mi) N of | Central Italy I FELT IT - 1 report | Info |
Date | Mag | Region | Deaths | Damage | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 Jan 18 | 5.7 | Farindola![]() | 34 | heavy | Info |
2016 Aug 24 | 6.2 | Accumoli, Arquata, Amatrice![]() | 299 | catastrophic | Info |
2009 Apr 6 | 6.3 | L'Aquila![]() | 309 | catastrophic | Info |
2002 Oct 31 | 5.7 | San Guiliano Di Puglia, Campobasso![]() | 30 | very heavy | Info |
1980 Nov 23 | 6.9 | Avellino, Potenza, Caserta, Naples![]() | 4,689 | catastrophic | Info |
1976 May 6 | 6.5 | Ne, Balkans Nw Slovenia Nw![]() | 978 | catastrophic | Info |
1971 Feb 6 | 4.6 | Tuscania![]() | 24 | heavy | Info |
1968 Jan 15 | 6.0 | Sicily![]() | 216 | very heavy | Info |
1930 Jul 23 | 6.5 | Irpinia![]() | 1,430 | heavy | Info |
1928 Mar 7 | 6.0 | Sicily, Calabria![]() | 50-100 (*) | moderate | Info |
1920 Sep 7 | 5.8 | Carrara, Garfagnana![]() | 1,400 | unknown | Info |
1915 Jan 13 | 7.5 | Marsica, Avezzano, Abruzzi![]() | 29,978 | heavy | Info |
1914 May 8 | 4.9 | Catania, Etna![]() | 120 | heavy | Info |
1908 Dec 28 | 7.0 | Messina, Sicily, Calabria![]() | 80,000 | very heavy | Info |
1907 Oct 23 | 5.9 | Ferruzano![]() | 158 | moderate | Info |
1905 Sep 8 | 7.1 | Monteleone, Tropea, Monte Poro![]() | 557 | very heavy | Info |
The deadliest earthquake in Italy since 1900 was the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Italy, Sicily on Dec, 28, 1908. It resulted in 80,000 fatalities and an unknown number of injured people. Most casualties and damage resulted from the tsunami that followed the quake. The height of the tsunami waves reached 13 m (43 ft). This was the 19th deadliest quake known in history and the most disastrous quake in Italy ever recorded.
The earthquake that caused most damage was the magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Italy, Campania on Nov, 23, 1980. It caused 4,689 fatalities and estimated $20 billion US Dollars (today's equivalent) in total economic damage.
Since 1900, at least 45 earthquakes claimed an estimated total of 120,000 fatalities in Italy.
There were 67 damaging or deadly quakes during this period that caused economic losses of approx. $56 billion US Dollars combined.