Italy: Can an earthquake bring about the fall of Rome?

This Time magazine article warns that, although there is a historic precedence and the possibility of a powerful earthquake hitting the Italian capital, the city is not at all prepared for it. The public and school communities do not have emergency plans and there is no discussion about reinforcing modern earthquake codes in the housing industry. The author warns that the past winter's storm and few centimeters of snow has brought Rome to a halt and school and public buildings were closed for days just because the city was not prepared for such events.