Italy is one of the most earthquake vulnerable countries in Europe and in the last 30 years, Italy has experienced severe consequences of earthquakes leading to fatalities and people displaced. This policy brief examines two earthquakes in Italy – the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake and the 1985 earthquake in Pozzuoli – that led to relocation in the aftermath, but which were implemented ad hoc and lacking normative and policy framework. The cases are useful examples in understanding what negatively impacted the realization of successful planned relocation, and the brief attempts to provide some recommendations for future implementation.