L’Aquila

Discover L’Aquila

L’Aquila is the capital of both the province of L’Aquila and the region of Abruzzo, a city of around 70425 inhabitants whose historic centre stands on a hill at 714 metres above sea level, encircled by the Gran Sasso massif and the Sirente-Velino chain. It ranks as the second most populous municipality in Abruzzo after Pescara, and its territory — one of the largest in Italy by surface area — extends across landscapes where more than half the land lies above 714 metres, with a peak at Pizzo d’Intemesoli reaching 714 metres.

Visitors who come to the L’Aquila village in Abruzzo find a city that carries centuries of layered history: a medieval foundation born from the federation of local castle communities, a papal coronation that gave rise to one of the oldest jubilees in Christendom, and a resilience tested repeatedly by earthquake and reconstruction. The Fontana delle 99 Cannelle, the Romanesque basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, and the ancient Roman remains at nearby Amiternum each stand as tangible markers of that long sequence — waiting to be read at walking pace through streets that rise and open onto mountain views at almost every turn.

L’Aquila village in Abruzzo: history and identity

L’Aquila was founded in 1254, when Emperor Conrad IV of Swabia issued a formal act permitting the construction of a new city called “Aquila” — a settlement born from the federation of local castle communities who had sought to break free from feudal rule. The valley of the Aterno river, where the city would take shape, had been inhabited long before that moment: first by the Sabini and the Vestini, then absorbed into the Roman world during the third century BC. Near the locality of San Vittorino stood the ancient city of Amiternum, birthplace of the historian Sallust and an episcopal seat, whose remains — a theatre and an amphitheatre — still mark the landscape today.

The path to foundation was not straightforward. As early as 1229, the inhabitants of the local castles had appealed to Pope Gregory IX for permission to establish a city, but the project came to nothing. Only with Conrad IV’s act of 20 May 1254 did the city begin to take form. In 1257, Pope Alexander IV transferred the episcopal seat from Forcona to Aquila, consolidating the city’s religious importance. Two years later, in 1259, Aquila paid a heavy price for its loyalty to the Church: Manfred of Sicily razed it to the ground. Reconstruction followed in 1266 under authorisation from Charles I of Anjou, and the city recovered its standing, going on to become, by the fifteenth century, the second most important city in the Kingdom of Naples after Naples itself.

The centuries that followed brought both prosperity and catastrophe. Under Habsburg rule, between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the city experienced uneven economic growth before the devastating earthquake of 1703 plunged it back into decline. Recovery came again in the nineteenth century, with renewed cultural and economic development. The seismic thread running through L’Aquila’s history — with significant earthquakes recorded in 1315, 1349, 1461, 1703 and again in 2009 — has shaped both the built fabric of the city and the resilience of its identity. The city’s chronicles were set down by Buccio di Ranallo in a rhyming account covering the years 1254 to 1362, while the eighteenth-century historian Anton Ludovico Antinori left extensive manuscript records of the city and the broader Abruzzo region.

One event stands apart in the city’s spiritual history: on 29 August 1294, the hermit Pietro da Morrone — who had commissioned the basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio in 1288 — was crowned pope there under the name Celestine V. That same year he issued the papal bull Inter sanctorum solemnia, granting a plenary indulgence and establishing what would become the annual Perdonanza Celestiniana, a jubilee that precedes by six years the introduction of the Holy Year by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300. Recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2019, the Perdonanza remains the living expression of a history that L’Aquila has carried, and rebuilt, across eight centuries.

Basilicas, Fountains and Medieval Walls: L’Aquila’s Historic Monuments

L’Aquila preserves a layered historic patrimony that includes a Romanesque basilica, a medieval fountain, a walled perimeter, and the ruins of two ancient Roman cities — all within or immediately around the municipal territory.

Basilica di Santa Maria di Collemaggio

The basilica is the symbol of the city. Built from 1288 on the initiative of the hermit Pietro da Morrone, it is described in the sources as an example of Romanesque art. On 29 August 1294, Pietro da Morrone was crowned pope here under the name Celestino V. The basilica is also the site of the Perdonanza Celestiniana, the annual jubilee he instituted that same year: the faithful pass through the Porta di Celestino V, a holy door situated on the northern side of the building, between the evenings of 28 and 29 August each year.

Fontana delle 99 Cannelle

Located in the Borgo Rivera quarter — which corresponds to the ancient site known as Acculi — the Fontana delle 99 Cannelle is recorded as the first great monument of the city. Its name and form recall the 99 castles that came together to found L’Aquila.

Torre Civica

The tower’s bell strikes 99 times every day, marking the same founding tradition commemorated by the fountain.

Cinta Muraria

The medieval walled perimeter remains standing and is cited in the sources as the primary testimony to the medieval layer of L’Aquila’s historic heritage.

Amiternum and Forconium

Two ancient cities once stood in the area that is now L’Aquila. Amiternum, located in the district of San Vittorino, was a Roman-era settlement — birthplace of the historian Sallust and a former episcopal seat — and retains visible remains of a Roman theatre and amphitheatre. Forconium (also called Forcona) was the other ancient centre; the episcopal see was transferred from there to Aquila in 1257 by Pope Alexander IV. Both cities lost importance after the foundation of L’Aquila.

Food and Flavours of L’Aquila and the Conca Aquilana

The L’Aquila area sits within the Abruzzo culinary tradition, a mountain and valley cuisine built around locally grown produce, cured meats and legumes rather than any single certified product tied specifically to the city. Almond trees grow in the municipal territory, reflecting the varied agricultural character of the conca aquilana. For visitors looking for a certified point of reference, it is more accurate to describe L’Aquila within its regional culinary context: Abruzzo holds several DOP and IGP designations — including saffron from nearby Navelli — though none are recorded in the verified sources as belonging exclusively to the city’s own municipal production.

Getting to L’Aquila and Planning Your Stay

L’Aquila is reached most directly by road from Rome via the A24 motorway, approximately 140–145 km to the south-southwest, and from Pescara on the Adriatic coast, approximately 70 km away (around 1 hour by car via the A25). The city’s historic centre stands at 714 metres above sea level on a hill at the heart of the conca aquilana, and the surrounding territory climbs to 714 metres at Pizzo d’Intemesoli, meaning mountain conditions can set in rapidly at any time of year. The climate data for the area record 68 frost days annually, a July–August maximum historically reaching 40 °C, and winter minima well below −17 °C, so spring and early autumn offer the most comfortable conditions for walking the medieval streets and visiting monuments such as the Basilica di Santa Maria di Collemaggio.

The annual Perdonanza Celestiniana, held each year on the evenings of 28 and 29 August, draws visitors to the basilica for the UNESCO-recognised jubilee and gives late August a particular cultural weight in the calendar. Those arriving from the north or east will pass through valleys dotted with smaller settlements: Barisciano lies on the plateau between L’Aquila and Gran Sasso, while Barete sits in the hills to the north of the city. Further south in the province, Ateleta represents the quieter Abruzzo interior that contrasts with L’Aquila’s role as regional capital.

These practical references help organise the journey clearly, while the village itself is best understood slowly and on foot once you arrive.

📷 Photo Gallery — L’Aquila

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