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The 1980 Italian earthquake took place in the Irpinia region in southern Italy on Sunday, November 23, 1980. Measuring 7.0 on the Richter Scale, the quake, centered on the village of Conza, killed 2,914 people, injured more than 10,000 and left 300,000 homeless. The quake struck at 7:34 pm. The first jolt was followed by 90 aftershocks. The town of Teora was destroyed completely taking a heavy toll of 157 victims, remembered in a memorial tablet on the façade of the church S. Vito, the only building saved from the earthquake.

Towns in the Avellino province were hardest hit. In Sant'Angelo di Lombardi, 300 died including 27 children in an orphanage. One hundred were killed in Balvano when a medieval church collapsed during Sunday services. The towns of Lioni, Conza di Campania (near the epicenter), and Teora were destroyed, and dozens of structures in Naples were levelled, including a 10-story apartment building. Damage was spread over more than 10,000 square miles (26,000 km²), including Naples and Salerno. The Italian government spent 58.64 billion lire on reconstruction, while 100 million Euros came from other nations. Germany contributed $32 million and there was $70 million in American aid.

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