The princes Orsini left the city destroyed by the earthquake,[3] whose shock lasted 15 minutes and caused about 500 deaths (although many bodies remained under the rubble). Damage was estimated between 400,000 and 1 million scudi of the time.[4]
The next 14 October there was a strong aftershock.[5]
Many inhabitants fled to the countryside, where tents were set up, while others found refuge in the church of San Domenico.[1] Among the buildings destroyed or badly damaged, there were: the princes Orsini's palace[6] (that at the time of the earthquake they were out of town), the Palazzo del Reggimento (Regiment's palace), the church of the Holy Crucifix, and other houses.[1]Rosaries and processions were organized by the people to invoke the end of earthquakes.[1] There were also heavy losses of the cattle (the main source of income at the time), which forced the population to migrate to Rome and Ascoli Piceno.[4]
The effects of the earthquake were described in detail in a report published by Carlo Tiberi in 1639, subsequently revised and updated in a second edition of the same year.