L’Aquila has passed the halfway point of its tenure as Italy’s Capital of Culture 2026, a significant designation it has used to complete several long-awaited restorations and finally reopen itself to the world. In the early hours of 6 April 2009, the earth shook for 23 interminable seconds, destroying lives, homes and historic buildings across dozens of towns. In the aftermath, the city remained closed for years; palaces, monuments, entire neighbourhoods rendered uninhabitable.
A few buildings remain wrapped in scaffolding, but the city has emerged elegant and luminous. The neoclassical facade of the cathedral has been restored, returning the main square to its role as the city’s drawing room, where the aquilani gather for a coffee, an aperitivo, an evening stroll. The Teatro San Filippo has reopened too, a remarkable space built inside a 17th-century church, its state-of-the-art stage installed directly in front of the baroque altar.
The people of L’Aquila are glad to see their city beautiful and alive again, but they have not forgotten what they endured. Nor do they wish to. They have never lacked spirit. It was there from the very beginning: L’Aquila was founded in 1254 by the inhabitants of some seventy hilltop castles, determined to free themselves from feudal oppression. Under a collective agreement, and with royal permission, they built a city with a neighbourhood, a square and a fountain for each castle of origin. As the symbol of this new urban community, the Fontana delle 99 Cannelle was built; the spouts representing the castles, which were actually fewer in number, but 99 carried a greater force in telling the story of the founders’ courage.
Today, L’Aquila is ready to soar again: a shining example of the Italian culture of which it remains Capital until the end of 2026, with events, exhibitions and ongoing restorations, including the Teatro Comunale.
At the MAXXI, one of the symbols of the city’s rebirth, inaugurated during the pandemic in 2021, an exhibition on artist and writer Fabio Mauri, curated by Maurizio Cattelan and Marta Papini, arrives on 26 September 2026 (until 24 January 2027). At the Museo Nazionale d’Abruzzo (MUNDA), housed in the 16th-century castle, the works saved from the earthquake have returned, joined by the magnificent Ecce Homo by Antonello da Messina, a recent acquisition by the Ministry of Culture. Until 27 September 2026, visitors can also admire two Visitation paintings by Raphael and Pontormo side by side; an extraordinary comparison between two contemporaries of vastly different temperaments, and above all a remarkable homecoming for Raphael’s work, originally commissioned by the Aquilan Branconi family for the church of San Silvestro (the painting now belongs to the Prado in Madrid). One room of MUNDA is devoted to a mammoth discovered in the 1950s, found intact on the banks of a nearby lake with all 149 of its bones and a single tusk. Standing before the complete skeleton of an animal four metres tall, seven metres long and 1.3 million years old is, quite simply, astonishing.
Though founded in the 13th century, L’Aquila is essentially a baroque city. The result of yet another earthquake, that of 1703, after which the city was rebuilt in the style of the era, with certain distinctive local variations, including the unusually square facades of its churches. One example is the Basilica of San Bernardino da Siena, dedicated to the saint who died in L’Aquila. His body is visible in the mausoleum inside the church, his face wearing an expression we prefer to read as a kind of smile. From the church’s forecourt, a staircase follows the slope of the hill on which it stands — in summer, this is where the stage and seating for the Cantieri dell’Immaginario cultural programme are set up.
L’Aquila has been reborn. It is a city that preserves an ancient atmosphere — authentic Italy, at the heart of the greenest region in Europe, with its national parks and its deliberately wild soul. Indomitable.
What to do
Trekking
Abruzzo is one of Italy’s most untamed regions. More than a third of its territory is protected by national parks, regional parks and nature reserves; a distinction that has earned it the title of the Green Region of Europe. Here you’ll find the highest peaks of the Apennines and medieval hilltop villages: spectacular, wild places that reveal an Italy unknown even to Italians.
The Basilica di Collemaggio is a magnificent example of Romanesque-Gothic architecture on the edge of L’Aquila, and the endpoint of the Cammino delle Terremutate — a 257km, 14-stage trekking route that sets off from Fabriano, crosses the central Apennines and passes through the national parks of the Monti Sibillini and the Gran Sasso. A journey through the heart of this green and extraordinary region.
Rocca Calascio you may already recognise: it is the evocative ruined medieval castle that appeared in the fantasy film Ladyhawke in 1985. In reality, it looms above the vast plateau of Campo Imperatore in the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park. At its foot lies a tiny medieval village with an inn, a restaurant and a biscuit shop. An extraordinary spot to watch the sun go down at the end of a walk.
Where to eat and drink
Enoteca La Fenice
The domain of Maurizio, a connoisseur of both music and quality produce. Here you’ll find the traditional pallotte cacio e ove, little-known salumi, Abruzzese DOP cheeses and carefully selected wines alongside oysters and Champagne. He also runs a kiosk in the Parco del Castello, where he DJs in the evenings.
Førma restaurant
Set below the steps of the San Bernardino basilica, Førma is chef Simone Ciuffetelli’s tribute to seasonality and mindful eating, with a distinct Nordic-European touch shaped by his time in Melbourne and at Copenhagen’s Bæst. Fermentation, curing, and fish ageing techniques minimise waste while showcasing local ingredients. His wife Roberta curates the wine list, and the restaurant’s celebrated bread inspired the adjoining Førma Bakery, where they sell leavened products that merge Abruzzese tradition with Nordic influences from Ciuffetelli’s time in Copenhagen.
William Zonfa
Housed in the frescoed halls of the 18th-century Palazzo Micheletti, steps from the Duomo, this is the new home of chef William Zonfa, a former Michelin-starred talent now aiming to reclaim that recognition. His cuisine centers on L’Aquila’s DOP saffron and Adriatic seafood, refined with technique and essential aesthetics: think tortelli with datterino tomato and 50-month Parmigiano, or sea bass with tomato, caper and lemon. Alongside à la carte, tasting menus of 7 or 10 courses showcase his balance of memory and innovation, kept notably accessible in price.
Lo ScalCo dell’Aquila
Set in the historic center, Lo Scalco dell’Aquila builds its menu around memory, seasonality, and the raw materials of Abruzzo’s mountains and Adriatic coast. Dishes like Gran Sasso spaghettone with guanciale, ricotta and saffron, baccalà “all’aquilana,” and Parco lamb with juniper berries reflect a kitchen balancing tradition and creative technique. Alongside à la carte, tasting menus range from an all-vegetable path to “Territorio,” a five-course celebration of mountain lamb — with an exclusive chef’s-table experience available for one table only.
Where to sleep
Madi City Hotel
This hotel is brand new and pared-back, with everything needed for a comfortable stay: well-appointed rooms, just the right amount of design, and a thoroughly central location.
sextantio, Santo Stefano di Sessanio
Sextantio is an albergo diffuso set within a fortified medieval village at over 1,250 metres in the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park. A meticulous conservation project has restored the borgo’s stone houses, preserving original materials, hand-woven textiles, and traces of rural life, while rooms draw inspiration from 1920s photographs of Abruzzo. The experience extends to the table, with a kitchen dedicated to traditional Abruzzese cuisine, championing local, mountain-sourced ingredients alongside regional wines.
Villa Corallo, Civitella del Tronto
Overlooking the Adriatic coast, this late-19th-century villa was lovingly restored by the Di Serafino family, who transformed the historic estate into an elegant relais without losing its original soul — frescoed salons, a century-old park, and rooms named after native birds. The property is a living organism, with olive groves, IGP Marchigiana cattle, and Cinta Senese pigs feeding its kitchen. In 2025, the storied Zunica 1880 restaurant, run by the Zunica family since 1880, relocated here under chef Gianni Dezio