(ANSA) - Recanati, October 31 - Sunday's 6.5 magnitude earthquake in central Italy caused "deep" damage to the Colle dell'Infinito in Recanati, the hill that inspired great 19th-century Romantic poet Giacomo Leopardi's most famous poem, the mayor of the Marche village said Monday.

The tremor opened up "a deep fissure" in the hilltop, which is visited by millions of tourists a year, Mayor Francesco Fiordomo said.

"The damage is worse than first thought," Fiordomo added.

He said the "heart of Giacomo Leopardi's native town, the soul of Italy" had been damaged.

The original manuscript of the L'infinito idyll was moved from Visso to Bologna last week after two quakes on Wednesday, along with 26 other manuscripts by Leopardi, who is considered Italy's greatest poet after Dante.

