L'Aquila
Discover L'Aquila
A concise introduction to L'Aquila, its geography, history and culture.
Introduction
L'Aquila is the capital of Abruzzo, with about 70,000 people, standing at 714 metres in a broad valley under the Gran Sasso range.
The historic centre is Renaissance and baroque in character, walled, and laid out on a grid unusual for an Italian hill city — the result of being founded deliberately rather than growing.
Its set pieces are the basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio outside the walls, with its geometric pink-and-white facade; the Fontana delle 99 Cannelle, a thirteenth-century fountain with ninety-nine spouts; the Renaissance basilica of San Bernardino; and the Forte Spagnolo, a sixteenth-century Spanish fortress that houses the regional museum.
Above the city rises the Gran Sasso, reaching 2,912 metres at Corno Grande, with the high plateau of Campo Imperatore behind it.
The city is still rebuilding after the earthquake of 2009, and that is visible everywhere.