Italy: Quake hits Naples amid escalating volcanic unrest in Campi Flegrei

On July 18, a 4.0-magnitude earthquake was felt distinctly across Naples at 09:14 local time, with the epicentre located in the Bagnoli area, at the heart of the Campi Flegrei caldera.

The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) confirmed the event, with Francesca Bianco, director of INGV’s Volcano Department, stating the quake is consistent with ongoing bradyseismic activity—ground movements associated with volcanic processes, Caliber.Az reports per Italian media.

The main tremor was followed by a seismic swarm, with more than ten minor tremors recorded throughout the morning. Only two of those exceeded magnitude 1.5.

“This earthquake, like all those in the Campi Flegrei area, is driven by volcanic activity,” said Bianco, who noted similar events occurred in September 2023 (magnitude 4.2) and March 2025 (magnitude 4.6).

She added that the region’s geological structure is prone to reactivation due to the underlying mechanism of bradyseism — a gradual uplift of the ground, which has been intensifying for over a year.

By Aghakazim Guliyev