 The study investigated whether the same relationships between ionospheric precursory signals and crustal earthquakes as seen in Japan could also be applied to Italy. It was found that the same empirical relationships exist, indicating that the spreading of the disturbance from the epicenter towards periphery occurs over a long time frame, up to 34 days before the main shock. This suggests that the ionosphere may provide useful information for predicting earthquakes in Italy. This article was authored by L. Peroni, L. P. Corsanova, and A. V. Mikhailov.