In January and February 1703 CE, a series of powerful earthquakes struck the Norcia-L'Aquila area in the Abruzzi region of central Italy. The quakes caused widespread destruction and killed thousands of people. This event was one of the most devastating seismic sequences in Italian history and led to significant changes in the region's settlement patterns.

The 1703 earthquakes were documented in numerous contemporary accounts and became a major subject in Italian literature. The event was interpreted as a divine judgment and inspired a wave of religious poetry and prose. The disaster is a key event in the history of the Abruzzi region and has been a recurring theme in the works of Italian poets and writers, who have used it to explore themes of faith, suffering, and resilience.