The town came to sudden and sad celebrity on October 31, 2002, when it was severely damaged by an earthquake. The most dramatic effect was the collapse of the local school, in which 26 of the 51 pupils lost their lives, together with one of their teachers. In particular, none of the 9 boys of the 4th class (born in 1996) survived. The quake was the first seismic event on this site, and the town was not included in any seismic map for preventive protection purposes.