Why earthquakes kill more in Italy than anywhere else in Europe?

''Italy is the most earthquake-prone country in Europe, said Bilham, and the ancient architecture is a major contributor to earthquake deaths.
"Italy consistently has the worst fatality rate when it comes to earthquakes in Europe," said Bilham, also a fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences. "It is clear there is very high seismic strain in the region, and many of the earthquakes occur in places where the picturesque buildings are many centuries old and vulnerable to collapse by strong shaking."'' [source]