UPDATE 8:  APRIL 9, 9:42 p.m.   Will this quaking never stop?  We felt aftershocks again in Rome very early this morning and then again right now.  It is so distressing to think about all those people in L'Aquila and the surrounding areas who are sleeping in tents through these cold nights and going through day after day of aftershocks.  Tonight's was 4.9 on the Richter scale.   I really feel for all those men, women and children in the Abruzzo region. The death toll is over 280 now.

UPDATE 7:   THE RED CROSS OF ITALY IS ACTIVELY WORKING AND TAKING DONATIONS.  www.globalgiving.com IS ALSO TAKING DONATIONS FOR THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR HOMES.

The earthquake that struck the Abruzzo region last night sent shockwaves even as far as Rome, Napoli and Tuscany.  In Rome we felt it at about 3:30 in the morning.   When it happened, I took my dog and my iPhone and we ran out of the apartment.  I met a few of my neighbors outside and we waited.  Lights went on in several houses, but most people stayed inside.  Those of us who came out were finally able to find some information on the internet using my iPhone and we learned that the epicenter was far away in L'Aquila.  We then went back inside. At at 4:30 I felt a small aftershock.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this quake in Abruzzo.

This is how it felt from Rome.

UPDATE 6:  April 7, 10:30 p.m.  At about 7:30 p.m. local time, the house started swaying again.  I was teaching an English lesson in my home at the time and we looked at each other and were speechless.  Since we know that the seismic activity is in L'Aquila, we didn't worry about our own safety, but we feared for what was happening in L'Aquila where rescue efforts are still going on and so much damage has already been done.   The second quake (or "aftershock") was 5.3 on the Richter scale--almost as strong as the first one at 5.8.  No new deaths have been reported.  There was another rescue tonight, which was encouraging for those digging through the rubble, but 25,000 are without homes.

UPDATE  5:  at 9:30 p.m. local time.  Estimated dead now exceeds 150.