(21 May 2012) When a magnitude-6.0 earthquake rocked northern Italy on Sunday, it killed seven people and displaced thousands.
It also toppled centuries-old buildings and churches.
As with the deadly quake that hit the town of L'Aquila in 2009, Italy's cultural heritage is once again a victim.
Buildings erected centuries ago didn't benefit from anti-seismic construction - indeed, many boasted additions and modifications that only made their structure even more fragile.
The epicentre of Sunday's earthquake was about 35 kilometres (22 miles) north of Bologna.
Several ancient buildings were reduced to rubble - including Modenesi's Tower of Finale D'Emilia and the town hall of Sant' Agostino, near Ferrara.
Many other castles, villas and museums in the region were damaged but fortunately did not collapse.
Modenesi's Tower, nicknamed the Clock Tower, was built in 1213.
Its half-collapsed tower and the damaged clock-face made the front pages across Italy on Monday morning.
The standing half of the tower later collapsed after a strong aftershock.
"The historical centre has completely collapsed," lamented one local resident on Monday.
"I would have never imagined that such a thing could happen in Finale. We never thought such an earthquake could hit the city."
Another local said the destruction of so many historical buildings made him feel "bad, very bad".
The Italian cultural heritage minister has requested an assessment of the damage and closed three public museums in Ferrara.
For many, though, the damage has been done.
"We have lost our history," said Dimo Negrini, a local pharmacist. "Everything that symbolised our past has collapsed."
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