L’Aquila

We are in Abruzzo, on Italy’s central east coast, a region of wild nature, mountains, and sea. L’Aquila (whose name means The Eagle) sits nestled in the Apennine Mountains and in 2026 will be Italy’s Capitale Italiana della Cultura, with a program of over 300 events in 300 days that celebrates the cultural richness of this territory and its people.

L’Aquila was struck by a devastating earthquake in 2009, and the legacy of that disaster is still visible today. The reconstruction has been long and difficult, but at last theaters, museums, and cultural sites are being restored and returned to the community. Among these, the Teatro Comunale is set to reopen in 2026 and will host a major opera as part of the closing events, and the Teatro San Filippo, supported in part by proceeds from the benefit song “Domani”, will be reinaugurated for public use.

More than a capital

The official Capitale della Cultura 2026 program, titled “Un territorio, mille capitali,” goes beyond a single city: it presents L’Aquila as a diffused capital, a network of towns, institutions, and cultural communities across the Appennine region, amplifying the area’s historic, artistic, and natural heritage. This initiative will include exhibitions, performances, international collaborations, and cultural partnerships with institutions such as the MAXXI L’Aquila, large-scale dance and narrative projects, photographic works by internationally acclaimed artists, music festivals, and shows tied to local traditions. There will also be strategic cultural and creative industry initiatives, including an observatory to measure cultural impact, urban regeneration projects, and programs that support participation and citizenship across generations.

A multiverse city

The events will be thoughtfully curated around themes inspired by the multiverse, and this is represented by the logo: the logo reinterprets the rose window of the Basilica of Collemaggio in a stylized, three-dimensional form, creating a bridge between past and future through an immersive dialogue between science, the humanities, and technology. Its dynamic dotted pattern evokes movement and represents L’Aquila as a “multiverse city,” embracing local and global dimensions within a 360° emotional sphere. The five blended colors, yellow, red, blue, green, and light blue, symbolize the core values of multiculturalism, multidisciplinarity, multitemporality, reproducibility, and multi-naturality that define the city’s identity.

Contact us to plan your trip to L’Aquila, less than two hours away from Rome!