A small quake hit the outskirts of the Italian capital today, sending terrified people rushing into the streets less than two months after two deadly quakes devastated the northeast of the country.

The 3.5-magnitude quake hit the Castelli Romani ("Roman Castles") area southeast of Rome at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), according to the Geophysics Institute, and was felt in the city's southern neighbourhoods.

"We heard a big rumble and the house began to shake. We ran out into the street, it was scary," a man in Rome's EUR quarter told La Repubblica daily.

No-one was injured and there was no damage reported to buildings, Italy's civil protection agency said. The quake was not felt in Rome's city centre.

Nerves have been highly strung in Italy since May, when two earthquakes measuring 6.0 and 5.8 on the Richter scale killed 25 people and devastated the wealthy farming and industrial region of Emilia Romagna, near Bologna.

A total of 10,891 people made homeless by the earthquakes there are still living in temporary accommodation including tent camps, schools and barracks.