Startled residents overwhelmed the region’s telephone network following the 20 seconds of shaking from the 5.3 magnitude quake.
“There is some anguish, a lot of fear ... in the town hall itself there was a lot of panic,” Alberto Pazzoni, mayor of Traversetolo, told Reuters from the town just outside Parma near the quake's epicenter.
Shaking was felt as far away as Venice, Genoa and central Bologna.
The National Geophysical and Vulcanology Institute said the quake occurred at 4:25 p.m. local time from an epicenter between Parma and Reggio Emilia.
Rail traffic in the area was halted as a precaution while inspectors checked the tracks for damage.