Time stood still for small outlying villages on Thursday (August 25) which lie close to the epicentre of a magnitude 6.2 earthquake which hit central Italy.
An eerie silence hung over the normally picturesque village of Cascello some four kilometres north of Amatrice, one of the largest towns in the area that has borne the brunt of the destruction.
Only the sound of a tap running in the square broke the silence in the village where only a few families lived, but now homes have been destroyed and it is unlikely anyone will be coming back any time soon.
Work continued in Amatrice to try and find those still missing. Residents were still in shock, some broke into tears when they spoke about what happened to them.
Alessandra Cioni, 45-years-old, crawled out of her house, which collapsed during the quake.
"We go from moments of sadness, people like myself have lost everything, but at the same time the fact that we have survived means we have to move forward one minute at a time" Cioni said trying to hold back her tears.
"Tomorrow does not exist, we can't think about tomorrow, a minute at a time. Thank God I have a little of everything, something to eat. We have been saved, not like half of this place who have lost their lives. I don't say we are celebrating, as we feel alone, we miss our friends and relatives," she added as she began to cry.
"I am one of the lucky ones I have lost very close friends, if they were blood relatives or not it doesn't make any difference, but I still have my family" she said.
Rescue workers vowed to continue digging in the rubble despite risks from strong aftershocks which rippled through the towns.
"We need to know firstly the exact number of people who are missing before we can say what work is waiting for us," said Fire Department spokesman Luca Cari.
"We will obviously move forward without interruption until we are sure there is no one left," he added.
Shops in nearby Voceto and Retrosi villages had the shutters down and they will probably remain down for the foreseeable future.
A few goods such as water and vegetables have arrived in the outlying villages but for the most part residents have abandoned their former homes.
A car buried under rubble in the village of Retrosi belonged to a Milan taxi driver who had been in the area on holiday. He has returned home without his vehicle.
The damage caused by Wednesday's quake is evident at every turn with cars buried under rubble and doors of homes padlocked shut unable now to close properly after the walls have been rocked out of position.
Whilst only a few hundred people lived in the small villages, the risk now is that families will never be able to return.
Only a local cat looked onto the now quiet streets.
