At least nine people were injured in northern Italy when an earthquake measuring about 5.2 on the Richter hit the region.
The epicentre was beneath Lake Garda, which is 58 miles east of Milan, authorities said.
Several hospitals were evacuated as a precaution while structural safety was checked and there were widespread reports of cracked buildings and fallen masonry.
After an initial quake a tremor hit the Adriatic sea again in the early morning. It was measured about 4.8 and was recorded some 130 km off the Italian coast.
The last devastating earthquake hit northern Italy in 1976 in the Friuli region that killed 976 people and destroyed or heavy damaged 70,000 houses.