On April 6th, 2009, at 3:32 am local time, a Mw 6.3 earthquake struck the Abruzzo region in Italy. This earthquake killed 305 people, with a further 1,500 people injured and approximately 15,000 buildings damaged. Many buildings of significant historical and architectural value were destroyed and several modern buildings were also severely damaged with some having fully collapsed. The authors visited the disaster zone one month after the earthquake. The most badly affected areas in L’Aquila historical centre and three other villages – San Gregorio, Pagánica and Onna – were inspected. The main observations made during this reconnaissance trip are briefly presented, highlighting the relevant lessons for engineering practice in New Zealand and Australia.