What is L'Aquila known for?

Founded around 1240 by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, with the legend of 99 castles each building its own piazza inside the walls. 1287 basilica where Pietro del Morrone was crowned Pope Celestine V on 29 August 1294; the Perdonanza is celebrated every August. Magnitude-6.3 quake on 6 April 2009 killed 308 people and damaged most of the centro storico; reconstruction continues into 2026.

L'Aquila is a comune in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo region of Italy, about 122 kilometers from Roma.

Abruzzo · L'Aquila

L'Aquila

The regional capital at 721 meters under the Gran Sasso, founded by Frederick II around 1240 and still reconstructing after the 2009 earthquake.

721m

Elevation

122 km / 76 mi

Nearest hub (Roma)

69,558

Population

May–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

L'Aquila sits at 721 meters in a high plain between the Gran Sasso and the Velino-Sirente massifs, the regional capital of Abruzzo with 69,558 residents. Frederick II founded it around 1240 to curb local baronial power; the founding myth has people from 99 castles in the surrounding valley each building a piazza, a church and houses inside the new walls. The Fontana delle 99 Cannelle from 1272 marks the legend with 99 spouts along three walls. The Romanesque-Gothic Basilica di Santa Maria di Collemaggio, built in 1287, hosted the coronation of Pietro del Morrone as Pope Celestine V on 29 August 1294. The Spanish viceroy Don Pedro de Toledo built the Forte Spagnolo in 1534, the bulk of which still anchors the upper town. On 6 April 2009 a magnitude-6.3 earthquake killed 308 people and damaged most of the centro storico. The basilica reopened in 2017; reconstruction stood at 88 percent of projects by early 2025.

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Gallery

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Known for

Basilica di Santa Maria di Collemaggio
Romanesque-Gothic basilica from 1287, site of Pope Celestine V's coronation in 1294; reopened in 2017 after the 2009 earthquake.
Fontana delle 99 Cannelle
Civic fountain from 1272 with 99 spouts on three walls, the symbolic count of the castles whose people founded the city.
Forte Spagnolo (Castello Cinquecentesco)
Massive Spanish fortress raised in 1534 by viceroy Don Pedro de Toledo on the highest point of the upper town.
Basilica di San Bernardino
Fifteenth-century church holding the tomb of San Bernardino of Siena, with a Renaissance façade by Cola dell'Amatrice.
MAXXI L'Aquila (Palazzo Ardinghelli)
Branch of Rome's twenty-first-century art museum opened in the restored Ardinghelli palace after the 2009 reconstruction.
Piazza Duomo
Main civic square between the Duomo and Santa Maria del Suffragio, the daily market space and the heart of the post-earthquake reopening.
Gran Sasso d'Italia
Range north of the city rising to 2,912 meters at Corno Grande, the Apennine high peak that dominates every view from L'Aquila.

When to visit

Best months · May–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May through October is the working window at 721 meters under the Gran Sasso. The Perdonanza Celestiniana opens at Collemaggio on 28-29 August. The university semesters from October frame the cultural calendar. June and September are the cleanest months for walking the centro, the Gran Sasso trailheads, and Campo Imperatore above the city. July and August stay cool by Italian standards. November through April is high-Apennine cold, with snow on the Gran Sasso, frequent fog, and many cantiere fences still up around half-finished palaces. Skiing at Campo Imperatore runs December through March.