Quake rattles central area, Rome, shaking historic palazzi

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.4 rattled a broad swath of central Italy, including Rome, on Wednesday, just two months after a powerful temblor toppled villages, killing nearly 300 people.

There were no immediate reports of damage.

Italy’s National Vulcanology Center said the epicenter was near Macerata, near Perugia. The U.S. Geological Survey said it had a depth of some 10 kilometers, which is relatively shallow.

The quake was felt across a broad swath of central and southern Italy, shaking centuries-old palazzi in Rome’s historic center.

The Aug. 24 quake destroyed the hilltop village of Amatrice and other nearby towns.

Wednesday’s quake was felt from Perugia in Umbria to the capital Rome to the central Italy town of Aquila, which was struck by a deadly 2009. quake in