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L'Aquila ( , ) is a city and ''
comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...
'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of both the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. , it has a population of 70,967 inhabitants. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valley of the Aterno river, it is surrounded by the Apennine Mountains, with the Gran Sasso d'Italia to the north-east. L'Aquila sits upon a hillside in the middle of a narrow valley; tall snow-capped mountains of the Gran Sasso massif flank the town. A maze of narrow streets, lined with Baroque and Renaissance buildings and churches, open onto elegant piazzas. Home to the University of L'Aquila, it is a lively college town and, as such, has many cultural institutions: a repertory theatre, a symphony orchestra, a fine-arts academy, a state conservatory, a film institute. There are several ski resorts in the surrounding province ( Campo Imperatore, Ovindoli, Pescasseroli, Roccaraso,
Scanno Scanno may refer to: * Scanno, Abruzzo, a ''comune'' in Italy * Lago di Scanno, a lake in Abruzzo * the equivalent of a typo, resulting from imperfect optical character recognition Optical character recognition or optical character reader (OC ...
).


Geography

Close to the highest of the Apennine summits, L'Aquila is positioned at an elevation of in the Valley of the Aterno-Pescara, situated between four mountain peaks above . The mountains block the city off from warm humid air currents from the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...
, and give rise to a climate that is cool in comparison to most of central Italy, and dry. It has been said that the city enjoys each year 11 cold months and one cool one. L'Aquila is approximately east-northeast of Rome, with which it is connected by an autostrada through the mountains.


History


Middle Ages

The city's construction was begun by
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II ( German: ''Friedrich''; Italian: ''Federico''; Latin: ''Federicus''; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Je ...
and King of
Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...
, out of several already existing villages (ninety-nine, according to local tradition; see Amiternum), as a bulwark against the power of the papacy. The name of Aquila means "Eagle" in Italian. Construction was completed in 1254 under Frederick's son, Conrad IV of Germany. The name was switched to Aquila degli Abruzzi in 1861, and L'Aquila in 1939. After the death of Conrad, the city was destroyed by his brother
Manfred ''Manfred: A dramatic poem'' is a closet drama written in 1816–1817 by Lord Byron. It contains supernatural elements, in keeping with the popularity of the ghost story in England at the time. It is a typical example of a Gothic fiction. Byr ...
in 1259, but soon rebuilt by Charles I of Anjou, his successor as king of Sicily. The walls were completed in 1316. It quickly became the second city of the Kingdom of Naples. It was an autonomous city, ruled by a
diarchy Diarchy (from Greek , ''di-'', "double", and , ''-arkhía'', "ruled"),Occasionally misspelled ''dyarchy'', as in the ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' article on the colonial British institution duarchy, or duumvirate (from Latin ', "the office o ...
composed of the City Council (which had varying names and composition over the centuries) and the King's Captain. It fell initially under the lordship of Niccolò dell'Isola, appointed by the people as the People's Knight, but he was then killed when he became a tyrant. Later, it fell under Pietro "Lalle" Camponeschi, Count of Montorio, who became the third side of a new triarchy, with the Council and the King's Captain. Camponeschi, who was also Great Chancellor of the kingdom of Naples, became too powerful, and was killed by order of Prince Louis of Taranto. His descendants fought with the Pretatti family for power for several generations, but never again attained the power of their ancestor. The last, and the one true "lord" of L'Aquila, was Ludovico Franchi, who challenged the power of the pope by giving refuge to Alfonso I d'Este, former duke of Ferrara, and the children of
Giampaolo Baglioni Gian Paolo Baglioni (c. 1470 – June 1520) was an Italian condottiero and lord of Perugia. He was the son of Rodolfo Baglioni and initially fought mostly in Umbria, especially against the family rivals, the Oddi. In 1498 he was hired by Floren ...
, deposed lord of
Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and par ...
. In the end, however, the Aquilans had him deposed and imprisoned by the king of Naples. The power of L'Aquila was based on the close connection between the city and its mother-villages, which had established the city as a federation, each of them building a borough and considering it as a part of the mother-village. The Fountain of the 99 Spouts (''Fontana delle 99 Cannelle''), was given its name to celebrate the ancient origin of the town. The City Council was originally composed of the Mayors of the villages, and the city had no legal existence until King Charles II of Naples appointed a "Camerlengo", responsible for city tributes (previously paid separately by each of its mother-villages). Later, the Camerlengo also took political power, as President of the City Council. From its beginnings the city constituted an important market for the surrounding countryside, which provided it with a regular supply of food: from the fertile valleys came the precious saffron; the surrounding mountain pastures provided summer grazing for numerous transhumant flocks of sheep, which in turn supplied abundant raw materials for export and, to a lesser extent, small local industries, which in time brought craftsmen and merchants from outside the area. Within a few decades L'Aquila became a crossroads in communications between cities within and beyond the Kingdom, thanks to the so-called "via degli Abruzzi", which ran from
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...
to Naples by way of
Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and par ...
, Rieti, L'Aquila, Sulmona, Isernia, Venafro, Teano and
Capua Capua ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etrusc ...
. Negotiations for the succession of Edmund, son of
Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry as ...
, to the throne of the
Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily ( la, Regnum Siciliae; it, Regno di Sicilia; scn, Regnu di Sicilia) was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 un ...
involved L'Aquila in the web of interests linking the Roman Curia to the English court. On December 23, 1256,
Pope Alexander IV Pope Alexander IV (1199 or 1185 – 25 May 1261) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 December 1254 to his death in 1261. Early career He was born as Rinaldo di Jenne in Jenne (now in the Province of Rome), h ...
elevated the churches of Saints Massimo and Giorgio to the status of cathedrals as a reward to the citizens of L'Aquila for their opposition to King Manfred who, in July 1259, had the city razed to the ground in an attempt to destroy the negotiations. On August 29, 1294, the hermit Pietro del Morrone was consecrated as pope Celestine V in the church of
Santa Maria di Collemaggio Santa Maria di Collemaggio is a large medieval church in L'Aquila, central Italy. It was the site of the original Papal Jubilee, a penitential observation devised by Pope Celestine V, who is buried there. The church, which therefore ranks as a ba ...
, in commemoration of which the new pope decreed the annual religious rite of the Pardon (nowadays known as
Celestinian Forgiveness The Celestinian Forgiveness (in Italian: ''Perdonanza Celestiniana'') is a religious and historical annual event held in L'Aquila, Italy, at the end of August. It is a catholic jubilee celebration, established in 1294 by pope Celestine V with hi ...
, ''Perdonanza Celestiniana''), still observed today in the city on August 28 and 29: it is the immediate ancestor of the Jubilee Year. The pontificate of Celestine V gave a new impulse to building development, as can be seen from the city statutes. In 1311, moreover, King Robert of Anjou granted privileges which had a decisive influence on the development of trade. These privileges protected all activities related to sheep-farming, exempting them from customs duties on imports and exports. This was the period in which merchants from
Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...
(Scale, Bonaccorsi) and Rieti purchased houses in the city. Hence the conditions for radical political renewal: in 1355 the trade guilds of leather-workers, metal-workers, merchants and learned men were brought into the government of the city, and these together with the Camerario and the Cinque constituted the new Camera Aquilana. Eleven years earlier, in 1344, the King had granted the city its own mint. In the middle of the 14th century the city was struck by plague epidemics (1348, 1363) and earthquakes (1349). Reconstruction began soon, however. In the 14th–15th century Jewish families came to live in the city, while the generals of the
Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...
Order chose the city as the seat of the Order's general chapters (1376, 1408, 1411, 1450, 1452, 1495). Bernardino of Siena, of the
Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...
order of the Observance, visited L'Aquila twice, the first time to preach in the presence of King René of Naples, and in 1444, on his second visit, he died in the city. In 1481
Adam of Rottweil Adam of Rottweil, (German: Adam von Rottweil; Italian: Adamo de Rodvila ( Rottweil 14?? - L'Aquila 1???) was a fifteenth century scholar and printer. He was originally a pupil and collaborator of Johannes Gutenberg. In 1477 Adam published in Ven ...
, a pupil and collaborator of Johann Gutenberg, obtained permission to establish a
printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the ...
in L'Aquila. The Osservanti branch of the Franciscan order had a decisive influence on L'Aquila. As a result of initiatives by Friar Giovanni da Capistrano and Friar Giacomo della Marca, Lombard masters undertook, in the relatively underdeveloped north-east of the city, an imposing series of buildings centring on the hospital of Saint Salvatore (1446) and the convent and the Basilica of San Bernardino. The
construction work Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and come ...
was long and difficult, mainly because of the earthquake of 1461, which caused the buildings to collapse, and the translation of the body of San Bernardino did not take place until May 14, 1472. The whole city suffered serious damage on the occasion of the earthquake, and two years went by before repairs on the churches and convents began. In a strategy finalised to increasing their political and economic autonomy, the Aquilani took a series of political gambles, siding sometimes with the Roman
Papacy The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
, sometimes with the Kingdom of Naples. When the Pope excommunicated Joanna II, Queen of Naples, appointing Louis III of Anjou as heir to the crown in her stead, L'Aquila sided with the Angevines. Joanna hired the condottiero Braccio da Montone. In exchange for his services, Braccio obtained the lordship of Teramo, as well as the fiefdoms of Capua and Foggia: he started a 13-month-long siege of L'Aquila, that resisted bravely. Facing Braccio, at the head of the Angevine army was Muzio Attendolo Sforza and his son Francesco. The final clash between the two contenders was just below the walls of Aquila, near the hamlet today called Bazzano. In the battle fought on June 2, 1424 Braccio, mortally wounded in the neck, was made prisoner and transported to Aquila, where he died three days later, on June 5, 1424. The Pope had him buried in deconsecrated earth. The citizens of L'Aquila honoured the bravery of their enemy Braccio by dedicating one of the main streets of the city to his name.


Modern era

This period of freedom and prosperity ended in the 16th century, when Spanish viceroy Philibert van Oranje partially destroyed L'Aquila and established Spanish
feudalism Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structu ...
in its countryside. The city, separated from its roots, never developed again. Ancient privileges were revoked. L'Aquila was again destroyed by an
earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
in 1703. Successive earthquakes have repeatedly damaged the city's large
cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
, and destroyed the original dome of the Basilica of San Bernardino, designed along the lines of the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. The city was also sacked two times by
French troops The French Armed Forces (french: Forces armées françaises) encompass the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force and the Gendarmerie of the French Republic. The President of France heads the armed forces as Chief of the Armed Forces. France ...
in 1799. L'Aquila, like so much of Italy, is a city of political contrasts. In the 1970s a novel by Alberto Moravia was seized because it was considered obscene, a local Catholic Archbishop protested the nudity of a centuries-old statue of a young man, and a group of local reactionaries even asked for the seizure of the £50 coin because it showed a naked man. In October 2003, however, a liberal judge in l'Aquila ordered the small town of Ofena to remove a crucifix from its elementary school so as to not to offend the religious sensibilities of two young Muslim students. After a national outcry, the judge's decision was overturned. In May 2007 Massimo Cialente, a physician and medical researcher, was elected mayor of L'Aquila with a
centre-left Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The ...
coalition.


Earthquakes

Earthquakes mark the history of L'Aquila, as the city is partly built on an ancient lake-bed which amplifies seismic activity. On December 3, 1315, the city was struck by an earthquake which seriously damaged the San Francesco Church. Another earthquake struck on September 9, 1349, killing about 800 people. Other earthquakes struck in 1452, then on November 26, 1461, and again in 1501 and 1646. On February 3, 1703 a major earthquake struck the town. More than 3,000 people died and almost all the churches collapsed; Rocca Calascio, the highest fortress in Europe was also ruined by this event, yet the town survived. L'Aquila was then repopulated by decision of Pope Clement XI. The town was rocked by earthquake again in 1706. On June 26, 1958 an earthquake of 5.0 magnitude struck the town. On April 6, 2009, at 01:32 GMT (03:32 CEST) an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck central Italy with its epicentre near L'Aquila, at . Initial reports said the earthquake caused damage to between 3,000 and 10,000 buildings in L'Aquila. Several buildings also collapsed. 308 people were killed by the earthquake, and approximately 1,500 people were injured. Twenty of the victims were children. Around 65,000 people were made homeless. There were many students trapped in a partially collapsed dormitory. The April 6 earthquake was felt throughout Abruzzo; as far away as Rome, other parts of Lazio, Marche, Molise, Umbria, and
Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...
.


G8 summit

Because of the 2009 earthquake, the Berlusconi government decided to move that year's G8 summit from its scheduled Sardinian host of La Maddalena to L'Aquila, so that disaster funds would be distributed to the affected region and to show solidarity with the city's inhabitants. World leaders converged on L'Aquila on July 8 and many of them were given tours of the devastated city by the host Prime Minister.


Climate

L'Aquila has a
Oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
(
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
: Cfb), influenced by its high altitude.


Main sights

Although less than an hour-and-a-half drive from Rome, and popular with Romans for summer hiking and winter skiing in surrounding mountains, the city is sparsely visited by tourists. Among the sights are:


Religious buildings

*
L'Aquila Cathedral L'Aquila Cathedral ( it, Duomo dell'Aquila; Cattedrale metropolitana dei Santi Massimo e Giorgio) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy, dedicated to Saint Maximus of Aveia and Saint George. It is the episcopal seat of th ...
: main church dedicated to Saint Maximus of Aveia (San Massimo), was built in the 13th century, but razed after the 1703 earthquake. The most recent façade dated from the 19th century, but the earthquake of 2009 and subsequent aftershocks collapsed parts of the
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building with ...
and possibly more of the cathedral. * Basilica of San Bernardino (1472): church has a fine
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...
façade by Nicolò Filotesio (commonly called Cola dell'Amatrice), and contains the monumental tomb of the saint (1480), decorated with beautiful sculptures, and executed by Silvestro Ariscola. *
Santa Maria di Collemaggio Santa Maria di Collemaggio is a large medieval church in L'Aquila, central Italy. It was the site of the original Papal Jubilee, a penitential observation devised by Pope Celestine V, who is buried there. The church, which therefore ranks as a ba ...
: church just outside the town, has a very fine, but simple, Romanesque façade (1270–1280) in red and white marble, with three decorated portals and a rose-window above each. The two side doors are also fine. The interior contains the mausoleum of Pope Celestine V erected in 1517. * Santa Giusta: Romanesque façade with Gothic rose window * San Silvestro: 14th-century Romanesque façade with Gothic rose window


Secular buildings

* Spanish fort (''Forte Spagnolo''): massive castle in the highest part of the town, erected in 1534 by the Spanish viceroy Don Pedro de Toledo. In 2016, home to the National Museum of Abruzzo. *''Fontana Luminosa'' ("Luminous Fountain"): a 1930s sculpture of two women bearing large jars. *''Fontana delle novantanove cannelle'' (1272): a fountain with ninety-nine jets distributed along three walls. The source of the fountain is still unknown. *''L'Aquila cemetery'': includes grave of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, 19th‑century German gay rights pioneer who lived in L'Aquila; every year, gay people from all over the world meet at the cemetery to honour his memory. *''Roman ruins of Amiternum'': ruins of an Ancient Roman city Also nearby are several ski resorts like Gran Sasso d'Italia, the highest of the Apennines where in its valley the movie '' The Name of the Rose'' was filmed in the end of the 1980s. The town also contains some fine palaces: the municipality has a museum, with a collection of Roman inscriptions and some illuminated service books. The Palazzi Dragonetti and Persichetti contain private collections of pictures.


Culture


Cinematographic activities

The first step of L'Aquila in the cinematographic activities was the Cineforum Primo Piano founded by Gabriele Lucci in the middle of the 1970s. As a work of Lucci, in 1981 saw the establishment of l'Istituto Cinematografico dell'Aquila, an institute for the production and diffusion of the cinematographic culture in Italia and abroad. The
Teatro Stabile d'Abruzzo Teatro Stabile d'Abruzzo (TSA) is a theatre based in L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy which was formed in 2000. Directed by Alessandro D'Alatri today, the theatre has performed at many major Italian festivals, including the Venice Biennale, the Festival d ...
is based in the city and was formed in 2000.


Sport

The city is the home of five-time Italian champions
L'Aquila Rugby L'Aquila Rugby 1936 was an Italian rugby union club based in L'Aquila, the capital of Abruzzo. The official colours of the club were black and green, the colours of the city of L'Aquila. The club went into liquidation and disbanded in 2018. His ...
. The football squad,
L'Aquila Calcio L'Aquila Calcio 1927 is an Italian association football club located in L'Aquila, Abruzzo. They currently play in the Serie D. History Existence of football clubs in L'Aquila can be traced back to 1915, when an amateur club called Football Cl ...
, played 3 times in serie B.


''Frazioni''

The following is a list of the ''frazioni'' in the ''comune'' of L'Aquila: Aquilio, Aragno,
Arischia Arischia is a frazione in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Medit ...
, Assergi, Bagno, Bazzano, Camarda, Cansatessa, Casaline, Cermone, Cese di
Preturo Preturo is a frazione in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, histo ...
, Civita di Bagno, Colle di Preturo, Colle di Sassa, Colle Roio – Poggio di Roio, Collebrincioni, Collefracido di Sassa, Collemare di Sassa, Coppito, Filetto, Foce di Sassa, Forcelle, Genzano di Sassa, Gignano, Monticchio, Onna, Paganica, Pagliare di Sassa, Pescomaggiore, Pettino, Pianola, Pile, Pizzutillo, Poggio di Roio,
Poggio Santa Maria Poggio Santa Maria is a frazione of L'Aquila in the same-named province in the Abruzzo region of Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in th ...
, Pozza di Preturo, Pratelle,
Preturo Preturo is a frazione in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, histo ...
, Ripa,
Roio Piano Roio Piano is a frazione of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo, region of Italy. In the 13th century it was one of the fortified settlements which formed the city of L'Aquila L'Aquila ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital ci ...
, San Giacomo Alto, San Giuliano, San Gregorio, San Leonardo, San Marco Di Preturo, San Martino di Sassa, Santa Rufina di Roio, Sant'Angelo, Sant'Elia, Santi,
San Vittorino San Vittorino Amiterno is a village in the Abruzzo, region of central Italy. It is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of L'Aquila. History S. Vittorino is important because the ancient Roman city of Amiternum Amiternum was an ancient Sabine ...
, Sassa, Tempera, Torretta, Vallesindola, Vasche.


International relations

L'Aquila is
twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...
with: * Baalbek,
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
* Bernalda,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
* Bistrița,
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...
* Cuenca,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
* Foggia,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
* Haining, China * Hobart, Australia * Rottweil,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
* San Carlos de Bariloche,
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...
* Sant'Angelo d'Alife,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
* Siena,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
* Washington,
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
* York, Toronto,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
* Zielona Góra,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...


Transport

L'Aquila railway station L'Aquila railway station ( it, Stazione dell'Aquila) serves the city and ''comune'' of L'Aquila, in the region of Abruzzo, southern Italy. Opened in 1875, it forms part of the Terni–Sulmona railway. The station is currently managed by Rete Fer ...
, on the Terni–Sulmona railway, is the main train station of the city, with trains to Terni, Rieti and
Sulmona Sulmona ( nap, label= Abruzzese, Sulmóne; la, Sulmo; grc, Σουλμῶν, Soulmôn) is a city and ''comune'' of the province of L'Aquila in Abruzzo, Italy. It is located in the Valle Peligna, a plain once occupied by a lake that disappeared ...
.


People

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Mariangelo Accorso Mariangelo Accorso or Accursio ( la, Mariangelus Accursius; 1489 or 14901544 or 1546) was an Italian writer and critic. Biography He was born at L'Aquila (Abruzzo), then part of the Kingdom of Naples. He was a great favourite with Charles V, ...
, (Aquila, 1489 – Aquila, 1546), Humanist * Amico Agnifili, ( Rocca di Mezzo, 1398 – Aquila, 1476), Cardinal *
Antonia of Florence Antonia of Florence is an Italian blessed. She was abbess of the monastery of Corpus Christi in L'Aquila. Life Antonia was born in Florence in 1401 and married at a young age. She and her husband had one child, a son. After her husband's deat ...
(1402-1472), saint * Corrado Bafile (1903–2005), Cardinal * Giulio Cesare Benedetti Guelfaglione, (Aquila, ? – Rome, 1656), Physician *
Bernardino da Siena Bernardino of Siena, OFM (8 September 138020 May 1444), also known as Bernardine, was an Italian priest and Franciscan missionary preacher in Italy. He was a systematizer of Scholastic economics. His preaching, his book burnings, and his " b ...
, ( Massa Marittima, 1380 – Aquila, 1444), saint. * Braccio da Montone, (
Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and par ...
, 1368 – Aquila, 1424), condottiero * Giovanbattista Branconio dell'Aquila, (Aquila, 1473 – 1522), papal protonotary, friend of
Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual ...
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Buccio di Ranallo Buccio di Ranallo (; c. 1294 – 1363) was an Italian poet, writer, and Count of Pettino, known for a historical chronicle (''Cronica'') about L'Aquila L'Aquila ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of both th ...
, (Aquila 1294 – Aquila 1363), epic poet, historian, Count of Pettino *
Raffaele Cappelli Raffaele Cappelli (23 March 1848 – 1 June 1921) was an Italian politician and diplomat. He was born in San Demetrio ne' Vestini, Province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo. pp. 137 Honors Grand Officer of Saints Maurice and Lazarus - 23 March 1911 ...
(1848–1921) * John of Capistrano, (
Capestrano Capestrano ( Abruzzese: ') is a ''comune'' and small town with 885 inhabitants (2017), in the Province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy. It is located in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. History Antiquity In the necropolis the statue ...
, 1386 – Ilok, 1456), saint * Celestine V, (?, 1215 –
Fumone Fumone is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Frosinone in the Italian region of Lazio, located about southeast of Rome and about northwest of Frosinone. Geography The town is on an isolated conical hill upon the Sacco Valley. It bord ...
, 1296), saint *
Pompeo Cesura Pompeo Cesura (born c.1500–1571), also known as Pompeo Dall'Aquila or Pompeo Aquilano, was an Italian painter and engraver. It is stated in the 'Abecedario Pittorico' by Orlandi to have been a painter of history, specializing both in oil and fr ...
, (Aquila, ? – Rome, 1571), painter * Appius Claudius Caecus, ( Amiternum,
350 a.C. 35 or XXXV may refer to: * 35 (number), the natural number following 34 and preceding 36 * one of the years 35 BC, AD 35, 1935, 2035 * ''XXXV'' (album), a 2002 album by Fairport Convention * ''35xxxv'', a 2015 album by One Ok Rock * "35" (song), ...
– ?,
271 a.C. 71 may refer to: * 71 (number) * one of the years 71 BC, AD 71, 1971, 2071 * 71'' (film), 2014 British film set in Belfast in 1971 * '' 71: Into the Fire'', 2010 South Korean film See also * List of highways numbered A ''list'' is any set of i ...
), Roman Politician * Marco Dall'Aquila (c.1480-after 1538), lutenist and composer * Nazzareno De Angelis (1881–1962), opera singer * Serafino De' Ciminelli, (Aquila, 1466 – Rome, 1500), poet *
Nicola Di Francia Nicola Di Francia (born 24 September 1985 in L'Aquila) is an Italian football defender who most recently played for L'Aquila. He previously played in Serie C2 for Rieti Rieti (; lat, Reate, Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, cent ...
(born 1985), footballer * Carlo Franchi (b. 1938), racing driver * Mario Magnotta (1942–2009), janitor and internet phenomena * Lorenzo Natali, (Florence, 1922 – Rome, 1989), vice-president of the
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
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Paul Piccone Paul Piccone (January 17, 1940 – July 12, 2004) was an Italian-American philosopher, critical theorist, intellectual historian, and most notably the founder and long-time editor of the journal ''Telos''. He was born in L'Aquila in Italy to a fam ...
(1940–2004), founder and editor of TELOS. * Cesare Rivera, (Aquila, 1539 – Napoli, 1602), humanist *
Roberto Ruscitti Roberto Ruscitti (Cansano, L'Aquila, December 12, 1941), was an Italian-Venezuelan composer, soloist and pianist, Nationally and internationally recognized for his compositions and for his interpretations of Venezuelan folk music. As a matter of f ...
(b. 1941), composer * Sallustius (4th century), historian * Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (1825–1895), writer *
Trebisonda Valla Trebisonda "Ondina" Valla (20 May 1916 – 16 October 2006) was an Italian female athlete, and the first Italian woman to ever win an Olympic gold medal. She won it in the 80 m hurdles event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, after establi ...
, (Bologna 1916 – L'Aquila 2006), Olympic gold medal * Amleto Vespa (1888–1940), spy for Japan * Bruno Vespa (b. 1944), journalist *
Claudia Romani Claudia Romani (born April 14, 1982 in L'Aquila, Italy) is an Italian American model. She has appeared on covers such as '' GQ'' and '' Maxim'', and in 2006 was voted one of the 100 Sexiest Women in the World by '' FHM'' Denmark. Since 2010, she is ...
(b. 1982), modelù *
Ferdinando Bologna Ferdinando Bologna (27 September 1925 – 3 April 2019) was an Italian art historian. A pupil of Pietro Toesca and collaborator of Roberto Longhi, he was emeritus professor of medieval and modern art history at the University of Rome Tor Vergat ...
(b. 1927), Art historian


See also

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Orazio di Santis Orazio de Santis, also known as L'Aquilano (active 1568–1577), was an Italian engraver of the Renaissance period. He was probably born in L'Aquila. He made prints based on designs of Pompeo Aquilano. He also produced 74 plates of antique s ...
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Santa Giusta (Bazzano, L'Aquila) Chiesa di Santa Giusta a Bazzano ( Italian for ''Church of Santa Giusta in Bazzano'') is a Romanesque church in Bazzano, frazione of L'Aquila (Abruzzo). History Evidence suggests the crypt and an earlier church derives from the 9th century. ...
* 2009 L'Aquila earthquake *
L'Aquila Cathedral L'Aquila Cathedral ( it, Duomo dell'Aquila; Cattedrale metropolitana dei Santi Massimo e Giorgio) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy, dedicated to Saint Maximus of Aveia and Saint George. It is the episcopal seat of th ...


References


Sources

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External links

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Gran Sasso
Images, news
Spanish Fortress

The fountain of 99 spoutsThe images 9 years later 2009 Earthquake (2018)


June 29, 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:L'aquila Cities and towns in Abruzzo Cities destroyed by earthquakes Populated places established in the 13th century