Last night, the historic town of Amatrice, 65 miles from Rome, was hit by a devastating earthquake. The neighboring towns of Accumoli, Arquata, and Pescara del Tronto, among others, were also struck. As of now, 247 people appear to have died, while 368 were injured.

Here at Foodiamo, on the other side of the ocean, we felt like we had to contribute to the relief efforts. As Italian food enthusiasts, we mostly knew Amatrice for being the birthplace of amatriciana, the popular tomato-based pasta sauce flavoured with guanciale, i.e. cured pork cheek, and usually served with bucatini (and yes, there's some controversy over the origins of the dish and the "right" ingredients, but clearly that's not the point here). Amatrice is (was?) also one of Italy's most beautiful small towns. It boasts about 100 churches filled with frescoes, mosaics, and sculptures. The first pictures showing "before" and "after" the quake are shocking.

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Source: http://www.foodiamo.com/