November 29, 1732 Earthquake: Ariano, Lucanie, Avellino, Italy
An earthquake struck Ariano, Lucanie, Avellino, Italy on November 29, 1732. It killed 1,940 people.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- November 29, 1732
- Place
- Ariano, Lucanie, Avellino, Italy
- Intensity
- 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 41.080° N, 15.150° E
- Country
- Italy
The toll
- Deaths
- 1,940
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
November 29, 1732, Naples, etc.; 1940 perished. (reference #1073)
November 29, 1732. Catastrophic earthquake, Lucanie, Ariano, Mirabella, Carife, Avellino Apice, Bonito, 1940 deaths. (reference #1093)
November 29, 1732, Italy, Ariano and other towns in (Avellino), intensity III which corresponds to an earthquake which destroyed towns and devastated districts. (reference #1055)
November 29, 1732, Arianese, 41 deg 05 min N, 15 deg 09 min E, intensity X, aftershocks. (reference #1075)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 5, 1456, Avellino,napoli,abruzzi, Brindisi,benevento, Italy
- January 13, 1915, Marsica, Avezzano, Abruzzi, Italy
- December 16, 1857, Campania, Potenza, Italy
- 1248, Sabaudia, Italy
- July 26, 1805, Molise, Rosolone, Napoli (Naples), Isernia, Italy
- July 30, 1627, Lesina, Italy
- November 23, 1980, Avellino, Potenza, Caserta, Naples, Italy
- September 8, 1694, Calitri, Italy
- December 16, 1631, Naples (Napoli), Italy
- July 17, 1361, Basilicata to Pouilles, Italy
- March 20, 1731, Foggia, Italy
- June 5, 1688, Benevento, Italy
- July 28, 1883, Casamicciola, Forino, Lacco Ameno, Ischia Is, Italy
- August 24, 79, Naples (Napoli), Italy
- January 1688, Pisticci, Italy
More
Significant earthquakes of 1732The 1700sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 1259.