The epicentre of the tremor was in San Piero a Grado, a small area some 7km west of the city of Pisa, famous around the world for its leaning tower. The quake struck at a depth of 8km, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), and was felt in several areas of the northern Tuscany region, including Lucca and Massa Carrara.

As the tremor hit, many in Pisa, a city visited by millions of tourists every year including Brits, ran outside of their homes, shops and offices.

One told Italian news agency Ansa: “There has been a strong tremor, we were working and we all felt it. It also lasted for quite a bit. And then people started to leave the offices.

“Initially, we thought to stay put but I said no, let’s get out as there may be aftershocks. Now we are waiting to be told we can go back in.”

Across Pisa, many reached out for help and information the local firefighter services, Rai reports.

The first tremor was followed, at 1.04pm local time (12.04pm BST), by a seismic swarm counting around 10 quakes, all of lower magnitude.

Nello Musumeci, the Minister of the Civil Protection, contacted Pisa Mayor Michele Conti to express sympathy to the local community and ressure the local government of the full support of the government should it be needed.

No immediate casualties were reported. Damage has so far been reported to one building, home to three families, so far, within the Pisa area.

The Pisa Tower also appeared unscathed, as all the other landmarks located in the Miracles Square.

The tremor, however, sparked disruption to local railway services, with some delays and cancellations recorded.

This comes after, in late July, Pozzuoli was rocked by a 4.7-magnitude earthquake which injured more than 20 people and caused severe structural damage to buildings. The eartquake was felt also in the city of Naples.