Earthquakes in Venice
Seismic activity in the surroundings
30 km radiusINGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 years, within the given radius from the town centre.
How seismic is this area?
Medium-low seismicity: strong quakes are rare, but not impossible.
Official Civil Protection classification (upd. 2025), used for building codes.
Hazard describes the long-term expected shaking: it is not a forecast. Technical value: ag = 0.075 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Venice plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Venice
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Venice over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 1976VI6 May 1976
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Friuli earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 105 km away · observed at Venezia
- 1976V-VI6 May 1976
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Friuli earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 105 km away · observed at Burano
- 1936VI18 October 1936
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Alpago Cansiglio earthquake (M6.1), epicentre 69 km away · observed at Venezia
- 1926VI1 January 1926
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Carniola interna earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 155 km away · observed at Venezia
- 1812VI25 October 1812
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Pordenonese earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 65 km away · observed at Venezia
- 1781VI4 April 1781
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Faentino earthquake (M6.1), epicentre 142 km away · observed at Venezia
- 1719VI7 January 1719
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Italia nord-orientale earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 77 km away · observed at Venezia
- 1690VI4 December 1690
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Carinthia, Villach earthquake (M6.2), epicentre 176 km away · observed at Venezia
- 1688VI11 April 1688
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Romagna earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 124 km away · observed at Venezia
- 1511VII26 March 1511
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Friuli-Slovenia earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 107 km away · observed at Venezia
- 1348VII-VIII25 January 1348
Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
Alpi Giulie earthquake (M6.6), epicentre 150 km away · observed at Venezia
- 1117VII-VIII3 January 1117
Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
Veronese earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 105 km away · observed at Venezia
…and 157 more documented effects in this town's history.
Source: Italian Macroseismic Database DBMI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).
The great earthquakes in this area's history
Almost a thousand years of catalogues: the strongest documented events within ~50 km.
Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).
The closest seismic structure
The town lies about 36 km from Schio-Vicenza, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.
Faults are mapped to build better and understand the territory: knowing them says nothing about when an earthquake will occur, which remains unpredictable. Source: DISS 3.3 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).
Area over time
Earthquake map
5 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Venice is among the quietest towns of its province: very few epicentres are recorded here.
Each quake is attributed to the town closest to its epicentre: the numbers describe the area, not the municipal territory alone.
Context
Province of Venezia0 events · 30gVeneto region7 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Venice?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Venice area: the latest nearby dates back to 20 months ago.
Is Venice a seismic area?
Venice is classified in seismic zone 3 by the Civil Protection. Medium-low seismicity: strong quakes are rare, but not impossible.
What was the strongest earthquake near Venice?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Venice was magnitude 2.6, in 2022.
When was the last quake near Venice?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Venice was 20 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)