On the way to the opera (25th Oct.) Elizabeth asked if we had heard about the earthquake. She went on to explain that while out shopping she had heard some women talking about a terrible earthquake. Asked what was happening she was told that there was going to be a major earthquake in the Marche on the 27th Oct. An expert who had predicted an earthquake at Aquila earlier in the year was saying that it was the turn of the Marche. He didn’t know the exact time it would strike but certainly the date was correct. Once home Elizabeth searched on the internet and found information on a blog.
The day came and went and no earthquake. It had all been a hoax put out on the internet and the pages were blocked. The expert, who had not predicted the quake, said that it was impossible to predict quakes with accuracy and one could only talk about increased risk.