Seconds before the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake in Italy, pedestrians saw 10-centimeter-high flames of light flickering above the stone-paved Francesco Crispi Avenue in the town's historical center. These earthquake lights were captured on security cameras and witnessed by many, providing crucial evidence for the phenomenon. The event highlighted the potential for earthquake lights to serve as a warning sign.

The L'Aquila earthquake lights were referenced in contemporary Italian poetry, where they became a symbol of the sudden and unpredictable nature of disaster. Poets like Giovanni Raboni and others explored the tension between the scientific explanation of the lights and their emotional impact on survivors, deepening the literary engagement with seismic events.