My mother was pregnant with me on November 23, 1980. By this time, my Nonno Joe had been dead for seven, going on eight, years. She remembers hearing the news that an earthquake hit Italy, but did not put two and two together that the quake had hit her father’s home region.

The 1980 Irpinia Earthquake happened at 7:34 PM local time in Italy. The quake had a 6.9 magnitude from its initial jolt and was followed by at least 90 aftershocks. The epicenter of the quake was Conza della Campania and it left at least 2,483 people dead, at least 7,700 injured, and 250,000 homeless.