What a 36 hours : An earthquake and robbery with violence

Will post later but we've had the most traumatic 36 hours . On Thursday morning there was an earthquake at 2.35 am that was severe enough to wake us all . There was a noise like an express train, the building swayed and plaster came tumbling off the roof.  Then at 4.30 am after everyone had settled back into a deep post-earthquake sleep the house was stealthily broken into by five armed and masked men . Wilf and Digby were too tired after the tremors to notice their arrival. The intruders fired off their machine guns, knocked me unconscious in the bed when I tried to grapple with them, tied up and beat everyone else with fire irons and monkey wrenches, dragged each of us off for mock executions and finally left half an hour later with their loot , leaving us and house guests locked into an upstairs room. What a wonderful start to the holiday for our guests! Believe me it's not pleasant to have to watch your partner and closest friends being bludgeoned in front of you while a masked robber holds a pistol at the back of their necks screaming that he's going to pull the trigger. The last thing I remember before losing conciousness was Wilf and Digby gamly defending 'the font' despite being kicked, punched and shot at.
 The Italian health service was fantastic - I was in the hospital and having an MRI for the fractured skull within an hour of the incident. Wilf was traumatised and was found twelve hours later by a Carabinieri patrol a mile away - they think he had been chasing the robbers get away car up the hill. A bloodied and bruised Digby went straight to ground under our bed and did his bit for the general pandemonium by barking loudly and continually - I thought the gang might shoot him to keep him quiet but there was so much commotion elsewhere they probably didn't notice. We spent most of yesterday giving statements to the police and helping out the forensic staff. Everyone here rallied round and we have been simply overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers and the staunchness and selflessness of neighbours and friends . American neighbours looked after 'the font' with heartwarming kindness and tenderness. One learns not only the downside of human nature but also the counterbalancing upside. Some friends took the boyz to the vets to have their wounds stitched up  and their bloodied noses cleaned. We'll get them back later today .