Italy was briefly rocked on Wednesday morning by an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale.
The quake struck at around 7:07 a.m.; its epicentre was in the sea off the Adriatic Coast, near the town of Pesaro.
There are no reports of casualties. Several media report how some buildings, including a hospital, were evacuated as a precaution in the Marche region. Train traffic near Ancona was also interrupted.
According to Italian media, the tremors were felt as far as Rome, Florence and Bologna.