“Seven years have passed since the terrible earthquake...” Meloni said in a statement.

“On that terrible night, a powerful tremour set in motion a destructive sequence that lasted until the early days of 2017, affecting a vast area of our country.

“Four regions were affected, more than 300 people died, hundreds were injured, tens of thousands were displaced, and villages and towns were destroyed or severely damaged,” she continued.

“On this anniversary, we renew our condolences to the victims and our closeness to their families and loved ones,” Meloni said.

The 6.2 magnitude quake that struck 2016 was felt as far away as Rimini and Naples.

It was followed by another 6.1 magnitude tremor in October that year, which increased devastation but mercifully resulted in no further deaths.

“Unfortunately, seven years after the earthquake, reconstruction is still not complete,” Meloni bemoaned.

“It is a wound that has not healed and that still hurts.

“More than 14,000 families are still living far from their homes, many areas are struggling to return to normality, there are several delays to overcome and critical issues that remain to be resolved.

“The government is working to change the pace, from regulations to building sites,” she said, adding that the teamwork between Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci, Special Commissioner for reconstruction Guido Castelli and the regional and local authorities “is yielding good results”.

Special commissioner for reconstruction Guido Castelli said while the historic centre of Amatrice will re-open in October, but more broadly around the town, reconstruction will take “several years” but hopefully "much fewer than ten". (Photo: ANSA)

Amatrice, which is renowned the world over as the birthplace of pasta all'Amatriciana featuring a sauce made from Italian salt-cured pork cheek, tomatoes and pecorino cheese, was the town worst affected and has become the symbol of the quake.

Reconstruction of its historic centre is to start in October, special commissioner for reconstruction Guido Castelli said on Thursday.

Work will also resume in nearby Accumoli, Castelli said in an interview with Il Messaggero on the seventh anniversary of the earthquake.

“We have to change course. After so many false starts, so many mistakes, the real problem is to rebuild houses, but also trust,” he added.

The strategy now is “simplification and pragmatism”, said Castelli.

“I have asked the government and parliament to give me guarantees on outstanding issues” such as “the need to stabilise the staff involved in the earthquake” reconstruction, he added.

Castelli said the historic centre of Amatrice “is the super site” and will open in October.

“The next step will be to create the underground utilities,” he continued, adding that the restoration of the iconic clock tower would be complete in October.

“Work will also be commissioned on the road system surrounding the historic centre” and the thorny issue of demolishing some nearby hamlets that were badly damaged in the quake needs to be resolved.

In terms of the timeframe, Castelli said reconstruction would take “several years”.

“I hope much fewer than ten,” he added.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also remembered the victims and said the government is committed to their families.

“Our commitment is to honour the memory of the victims and to their families, to whom I send a thought of closeness on this day,” he said on X (formerly Twitter).

ANSA