This image was created more than four years after the catastrophic earthquake of 6 April 2009. The old town of L'Aquila, capital city of the Abruzzo region, still has the character of a ghost town, even though some cafés and hotels have reopened. Most of the historic buildings have been temporarily reinforced. The main square, once a bustling market place and one of the social and cultural centres of the city, is almost void of people.