L'Aquila

Also known as Aquila degli Abruzzi, Aquila

'''L'Aquila''' ( ; ; ) is the capital city of the region of Abruzzo in central Italy. With 70,421 inhabitants as of 2025, it is also the second-largest city in the region. 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.

AI overview

L'Aquila is the capital city of Abruzzo, a region in central Italy, with a population of about 70,000 people and a medieval walled layout situated in a valley surrounded by the Apennine Mountains. It matters as a significant regional center and historical city, notable for its distinctive geographical setting and medieval architecture.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Italian comune.name: L'Aquila
Italian comune.official_name: Comune dell'Aquila
Italian comune.image_skyline: L'Aquila 2011 by-RaBoe-197.jpg
Italian comune.image_caption: Piazza del Duomo with the L'Aquila Cathedral in the background
Italian comune.image_shield: Coat of Arms of L'Aquila, Italy.svg
Italian comune.region: Abruzzo
Italian comune.province: L'Aquila
Italian comune.frazioni: see list
Italian comune.mayor: Pierluigi Biondi
Italian comune.mayor_party: FdI
Italian comune.elevation_m: 714
Italian comune.area_total_km2: 473.91
Italian comune.population_as_of: 2025
Italian comune.population_total: 70421
Italian comune.saint: St. Maximus, St. Equitius, St. Peter Celestine, St. Bernardino of Siena
Italian comune.day: June 10
Italian comune.image_flag: Flag_of_L%27Aquila.svg
Italian comune.pushpin_map: Italy#Abruzzo#Europe

via Wikipedia infobox

~20 min read

Encyclopedic overview

22 sections

Contents

History
Middle Ages
Modern era
Earthquakes
G8 summit
Geography
Climate
Subdivisions
Demographics
Main sights
Religious buildings
Secular buildings
Culture
Cinematographic activities
Sport
International relations
Transport
Notable people
See also
References
Sources
External links

L'Aquila sits on a hillside in the middle of a narrow valley; the 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 art academy, a state conservatory and a film institute. There are several ski resorts in the surrounding province (Campo Imperatore, Ovindoli, Pescasseroli, Roccaraso, Scanno).

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “L'Aquila” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.