L'Aquila, Abruzzo
L'Aquila is a city and comune in Abruzzo
Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valley of the Aterno river, and surrounded by the Apennine Mountains, with the Gran Sasso d'Italia to the north-east, it is both the capital of the Abruzzo region and the seat of the province of L'Aquila.
Although less than two hours' drive from Rome, and a popular summer and winter resort with Romans hiking and skiing in the surrounding mountains, the city has not yet been heavily affected by foreign tourism. L'Aquila is a lively university town and as such has many cultural institutions: a repertory theater, a symphony orchestra, a fine-arts academy, a state conservatory, and a film institute. It is also the site of a number of high tech industries, and is the home of a rugby team that won the Italian championship five times. L'Aquila has some trade in lace and saffron, and possesses other smaller industries. It was a university town in the Middle Ages, but its university was suppressed by the fascist government. The university was instituted again after World War II. What to see in L'AquilaIn the highest part of the town is the massive fortress (Forte Spagnolo), erected by the Spanish viceroy Don Pedro de Toledo in 1534. It is currently home to the National Museum of Abruzzo. The Cathedral (Duomo) was built in the 13th but crumbled down during the 1703 earthquake. The current façade is from the 19th century. The church of San Bernardino di Siena
The church of San Bernardino di Siena (1472) has a fine Renaissance façade by Nicolò Filotesio (commonly called Cola dell'Amatrice), and contains the monumental tomb of the saint, decorated with beautiful sculptures, and executed by Silvestro Ariscola in 1480. The church of S. Maria di CollemaggioThe church of S. Maria di Collemaggio, just outside the town, has a very fine Romanesque façade of simple design (1270-1280) in red and white marble, with three finely 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. Many smaller churches in the town have similar façades (S. Giusta, S. Silvestro and others). 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. Outside the town is the Fontana delle novantanove cannelle, a fountain with ninety-nine jets distributed along three walls, constructed in 1272. The source of the fountain is still unknown. Fontana LuminosaA well-known city landmark is the Fontana Luminosa ("Luminous Fountain"), a sculpture of two women bearing large jars, built in the 1930s. The local cemetery includes the grave of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, a 19th‑century German gay rights pioneer, who lived and died at L'Aquila: every year, gay people from all over the world meet at the cemetery to honour his memory. The surrounding area boasts Roman ruins (the important Roman city of Amiternum), ancient monasteries, and numerous castles. The best-known of these is Rocca Calascio (used in the 1980s as the location for the movie Ladyhawke), which is the highest castle in Italy and one of the highest in Europe. Also nearby are several ski resorts for Gran Sasso d'Italia, the highest of the Apennines. Attraction in L'AquilaAbruzzo National Museum
Via di S. Giuliano, L'Aquila 67100 - Italy
Phone: +39 (0)862 314201 Cathedral of San Massimo
Piazza del Duomo, L'Aquila 67100 - Italy
Phone: +39 (0)862 24512 Civic Theatre
Palazzo S. Teresa, Via Roma, 54 L'Aquila 67100 - Italy
Phone: +39 (0)862 413200 - Fax: +39 (0)862 414269 Museum of Sugar Confectionery Art and Technology
Via Stazione Introdacqua, 55 Sulmona, L'Aquila 67039 - Italy
Phone: +39 (0)864 210047 Natural Science Museum
Via di S. Giuliano, L'Aquila 67100 - Italy
Phone: +39 (0)862 314201 Palazzo dell'Emiciclo
Via Iacobucci, 4 Tagliacozzo, L'Aquila 67069 - Italy Piazza del Duomo
Piazza Del Duomo, L'Aquila 67100 - Italy San Giuliano Monastery
Via San Giuliano, L'Aquila 67100 - Italy
Phone: +39 (0)862 314201 Santa Maria di Collemaggio
Piazzale Collemaggio, L'Aquila, Aquila 67100 - Italy
Phone: +39 (0)862 420884 Speleological Museum
Frazione di San Demetrio ne' Vestini Stiffe, L'Aquila - Italy
Phone: +39 (0)862 86142 | 
