Pope Benedict XVI is meeting victims of twin earthquakes that killed 24 people in Italy's Emilia Romagna region.

The pope's brief visit to the area on Tueaday is meant to bring hope to those who lost faith that they will return home.

The recent heatwave has not helped the situation, and it is not only people's lives that are in ruins. The effects of two magnitude 6.0 earthquakes days from each other are visible everywhere.

The quakes dealt severe damage to both the region's cultural heritage and the local economy.

Al Jazeera's Claudio Lavanga reports from Mirandola.