I just saw a glimpse of an article about italian ship wrecks and remembered this thread but the link doesn't work anymore.

Billie!

Happy New Year Doll! Missed you soo much. Its great to see you again. I think the links to these articles expire after a while. Carole..its time to find a new source for new items I think!

Billie..heres an article you might enjoy. Not sure its what you're looking for but still interesting.

www.italymag.co.uk/ita...-past-ages

Update from ANSA.it for you..

Quake: 12 billion euros needed

EU could contribute up to 500 million euros
(ANSA) - L'Aquila, April 15 - Reconstructing the quake-stricken city of L'Aquila and neighbouring towns will cost around 12 billion euros, Abruzzo Governor Gianni Chiodi said Wednesday. Chiodi said the sum, suggested by Interior Minister Roberto Maroni during a television interview on Tuesday evening, ''seemed a reasonable number''. The governor said it was also necessary to evaluate damage caused by the earthquake to the area's economy and social fabric, which he said had been ''completely destroyed'' and would ''require other important resources'' for its reconstruction. European Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani said Wednesday that the European Union could contribute up to 500 million euros of the funds needed. Some of this money will come from a European Union fund for natural disasters, while the rest will be reallocated from structural funds destined for Abruzzo and Italy. ''Europe will do its part and will not abandon the Italian people,'' he said. Premier Silvio Berlusconi said Friday that he ''guaranteed'' the necessary funds would be found. He said the Italian government had already earmarked 100 million euros to deal with the disaster as well as an additional 16 million from the education ministry to rebuild student housing destroyed in the quake. Berlusconi has also been in talks with foreign leaders about countries 'adopting' heritage sites destroyed or damaged in the quake and funding their restoration. Senate deputy speaker and opposition Democratic Party member Vannino Chiti on Thursday called for a controversial plan to build the world's longest suspension bridge across the Messina Straits to be put on hold for several years so that public funds could instead by diverted to Abruzzo. ''I don't see any other concrete or practical alternative,'' he said. But Berlusconi said last week that the 6.5-billion-euro project, which he says ''will give Sicilians 100% status as Italian citizens'', would go ahead despite the costs of cleaning up after the earthquake. The project has been opposed by environmentalists and dogged by concerns over its safety and fears of potential Mafia involvement.

ITALIAN RESPONSE 'SURPRISED THE WORLD' Italy's response to the April 6 earthquake was to activate a system that ''surprised the world,'' civil protection chief Guido Bertolaso said Wednesday. ''We dealt with the first phase of the emergency by triggering that special system that has made the Italian civil protection a model,'' he told daily Il Messaggero. ''We showed that this system is 'the' system, efficient and cohesive, original and flexible: a Made in Italy model that surprises the world''. Bertolaso said solidarity shown by the Italian people meant it was possible to move on to the reconstruction phase of the emergency ''in only seven days''. He said 50,000 people had been forced to leave their homes in an area of around 1,500 square kilometres affected by the quake, which left 294 dead and 1,500 injured. Bertolaso said the civil protection department had set up seven operation centres to coordinate activities over 2,000 square kilometres. ''There is a city made up of 106 camps with 4,500 tents, 406 hotels and many houses who are offering hospitality to those who cannot enter their homes or who no longer have a home,'' he said. On Wednesday morning controls began in L'Aquila on public offices and buildings that collapsed or were damaged in the quake as part of an inquiry into construction safety in the wake of the disaster. Aftershocks continued to hit the region Wednesday, with three quakes measuring between 2.5 and 3.0 on the Richter scale, the last at 13.44 (11.44 GMT).

From Times Online
April 17, 2009
Abruzzo 'miracle' as fresco of Virgin Mary and Jesus appears
A Madonna and child in the church of San Pietro alla Collegiata in the town of Rocca di Cambio in trhe Abruzzi region of Italy recently hit by an earthquake, The fresco was covered by the altar and was revealed as a result of the earthquake
(See attachment below)
(Antonio Pace/mail)

The 11th Century fresco depicting the Virgin Mary and Jesus that appeared after the earthquake in the mountain village of Rocca di Cambio
Richard Owen in Rome

The aftermath of the Abruzzo earthquake has witnessed the miraculous survival of people beneath collapsed buildings - and even of a small black dog which scampered out of the ruins of a house on Easter Sunday after nearly a week under the debris.

But residents of Rocca di Cambio, a village high in the Gran Sasso mountains of Abruzzo 25 kilometres from L’Aquila, are celebrating the emergence of a more longstanding survivor: a long-lost 11th Century fresco depicting the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus.

“This is wonderful news at a time of so much destruction and sorrow,” Antonio Pace, the mayor of Rocca di Cambio, told The Times. “The appearance of the Madonna and Child is a sign of hope. Nothing short of a miracle.”

The fresco, in the church of San Pietro alla Collegiata at Rocca di Cambio - the highest of the Abruzzo mountain villages, at 1,500 metres above sea level - appeared when the earthquake which struck the region nearly two weeks ago shook the church, which lies at the top of the village, and the altar came away from wall.
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“When we went in to check the damage we saw that the altar had moved, and behind the fallen plaster was the fresco,” Mr Pace said. “There was tremendous excitement, as you can imagine.”

He said the damaged fresco, which experts believe was painted by an unknown medieval master when the church was built, would be examined tomorrow by art conservationists from the Ministry of Culture in Rome.

Of Rocca di Cambio’s 416 inhabitants, 200 are second-home owners who ski at the nearby mountain resort of Camp Felice. The remaining 216 are being sheltered in tents in the grounds of the local hotel, which was also damaged. “It is freezing at night but at least we have hot water and electricity,” said Alessandro Marinangeli, who heads the village “Pro Loco” tourism and local history society.

The facade of the church, only recently restored, is cracked, and firemen are using a crane to make safe its 13th Century tower by encircling it with steel cables. In the forecourt the only object left standing is a plaque commemorating the fact that the church was used in the 1953 film The Return of Don Camillo, directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Fernandel.

Medieval frescoes attributed to the school of Giotto in the nearby Abbey of Santa Lucia have also suffered damage. Mr Marinangeli said that abundant snow had been a boon to skiers this year - “a blessing from God. Mr Pace said he hoped the “miraculous Madonna” would help to attract visitors and revive tourism.

He said there had been an earlier miracle at Rocca di Cambio in 1822, when another painting of the Virgin Mary, the Madonna del Rosario, appeared after a previous tremor. Art experts will examine that painting, which was restored in 2006, for signs of earthquake damage.

Thanks for posting this Carol, it gives renewed hope.

Amazing! Thanks for sharing Carole.

Very nice..definitely a sign of hope.