L'Aquila
L'Aquila | |
---|---|
Comune dell'Aquila | |
UTC+2 (CEST) | |
Postal code | 67100 |
Dialing code | 0862 |
Patron saint | St. Maximus, St. Equitius, St. Peter Celestine, St. Bernardino of Siena |
Saint day | June 10 |
Website | Official website |
L'Aquila (/ˈlækwɪlə/ LAK-wil-ə,[3][4] Italian: [ˈlaːkwila] ⓘ; Neapolitan: [ˈlaːkwiːlə]) is a city and comune in central Italy. It is the capital city of both the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. As of 2023[update], it has a population of 69,558 inhabitants.[5] 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.
L'Aquila sits upon a hillside in the middle of a narrow valley; 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
Geography
Close to the highest of the Apennine summits, L'Aquila is positioned at an elevation of 721 metres (2,365 ft) in the Valley of the Aterno-Pescara, situated between four mountain peaks above 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).
The mountains block the city off from warm humid air currents from the Mediterranean, and give rise to a climate that is cool in comparison to most of central Italy, and dry. It's common to say between locals that the city enjoys each year 11 cold months and one cool one ("Undici misi de friddu e unu de friscu").
L'Aquila is approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) east-northeast of Rome, with which it is connected by an autostrada through the mountains.
History
Middle Ages
The city's construction was begun by
It quickly became the second city of the
The power of L'Aquila was based on the close connection between the city and its mother-villages, which had established the city as a federation, each of them building a borough and considering it as a part of the mother-village. The Fountain of the 99 Spouts (Fontana delle 99 Cannelle), was given its name to celebrate the ancient origin of the town. The City Council was originally composed of the Mayors of the villages, and the city had no legal existence until King Charles II of Naples appointed a "Camerlengo", responsible for city tributes (previously paid separately by each of its mother-villages). Later, the Camerlengo also took political power, as President of the City Council.
From its beginnings the city constituted an important market for the surrounding countryside, which provided it with a regular supply of food: from the fertile valleys came the precious saffron; the surrounding mountain pastures provided summer grazing for numerous transhumant flocks of sheep, which in turn supplied abundant raw materials for export and, to a lesser extent, small local industries, which in time brought craftsmen and merchants from outside the area.
Within a few decades L'Aquila became a crossroads in communications between cities within and beyond the Kingdom, thanks to the so-called "via degli Abruzzi", which ran from Florence to Naples by way of Perugia, Rieti, L'Aquila, Sulmona, Isernia, Venafro, Teano and Capua.
Negotiations for the succession of Edmund, son of
The pontificate of Celestine V gave a new impulse to building development, as can be seen from the city statutes. In 1311, moreover, King
In the middle of the 14th century the city was struck by plague epidemics (1348, 1363) and earthquakes (1349). Reconstruction began soon, however. In the 14th–15th century Jewish families came to live in the city, while the generals of the
The Osservanti branch of the Franciscan order had a decisive influence on L'Aquila. As a result of initiatives by Friar Giovanni da Capistrano and Friar Giacomo della Marca, Lombard masters undertook, in the relatively underdeveloped north-east of the city, an imposing series of buildings centring on the hospital of Saint Salvatore (1446) and the convent and the Basilica of San Bernardino. The construction work was long and difficult, mainly because of the earthquake of 1461, which caused the buildings to collapse, and the translation of the body of San Bernardino did not take place until May 14, 1472. The whole city suffered serious damage on the occasion of the earthquake, and two years went by before repairs on the churches and convents began.
In a strategy finalised to increasing their political and economic autonomy, the Aquilani took a series of political gambles, siding sometimes with the Roman
Modern era
This period of freedom and prosperity ended in the 16th century, when Spanish viceroy
L'Aquila, like so much of Italy, is a city of political contrasts. In the 1970s a novel by
Earthquakes
Earthquakes mark the history of L'Aquila, as the city is partly built on an ancient lake-bed which amplifies seismic activity.[6][7]
On December 3, 1315, the city was struck by an earthquake which seriously damaged the
On April 6, 2009, at 01:32 GMT (03:32 CEST) an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck central Italy with its epicentre near L'Aquila, at 42°25′22″N 13°23′40″E / 42.4228°N 13.3945°E.[9] Initial reports said the earthquake caused damage to between 3,000 and 10,000 buildings in L'Aquila.[10] Several buildings also collapsed. 308 people were killed by the earthquake, and approximately 1,500 people were injured. Twenty of the victims were children.[11] Around 65,000 people were made homeless.[12] There were many students trapped in a partially collapsed dormitory.[13] The April 6 earthquake was felt throughout Abruzzo; as far away as Rome, other parts of Lazio, Marche, Molise, Umbria, and Campania.
G8 summit
Because of the 2009 earthquake, the Berlusconi government decided to move that year's G8 summit from its scheduled Sardinian host of La Maddalena to L'Aquila, so that disaster funds would be distributed to the affected region and to show solidarity with the city's inhabitants.[14] World leaders converged on L'Aquila on July 8 and many of them were given tours of the devastated city by the host Prime Minister.[15]
Climate
L'Aquila has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb), influenced by its high altitude.
Climate data for Stazione Meteo L'Aquila 42°22′N 13°21′E / 42.367°N 13.350°E | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.4 (43.5) |
8.5 (47.3) |
12.3 (54.1) |
16.3 (61.3) |
20.9 (69.6) |
25.3 (77.5) |
29.0 (84.2) |
29.1 (84.4) |
24.7 (76.5) |
18.4 (65.1) |
12.2 (54.0) |
7.4 (45.3) |
17.5 (63.6) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.3 (36.1) |
3.8 (38.8) |
7.0 (44.6) |
10.7 (51.3) |
14.9 (58.8) |
18.7 (65.7) |
21.6 (70.9) |
21.6 (70.9) |
18.1 (64.6) |
12.8 (55.0) |
7.8 (46.0) |
3.7 (38.7) |
11.9 (53.5) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −1.8 (28.8) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
1.7 (35.1) |
5.0 (41.0) |
8.8 (47.8) |
12.2 (54.0) |
14.2 (57.6) |
14.1 (57.4) |
11.4 (52.5) |
7.2 (45.0) |
3.3 (37.9) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
6.3 (43.3) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 66.1 (2.60) |
64.5 (2.54) |
51.2 (2.02) |
56.6 (2.23) |
51.0 (2.01) |
46.1 (1.81) |
34.7 (1.37) |
37.7 (1.48) |
52.8 (2.08) |
66.3 (2.61) |
91.3 (3.59) |
83.7 (3.30) |
702 (27.64) |
Average snowfall cm (inches) | 27 (11) |
19.8 (7.8) |
7.2 (2.8) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
13.8 (5.4) |
67.8 (27) |
Average rainy days | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 91 |
Average snowy days | 3 | 2.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 | 7.8 |
Source: [16] |
Main sights
Although less than an hour-and-a-half drive from Rome, and popular with Romans for summer hiking and winter skiing in surrounding mountains, the city is sparsely visited by tourists. Among the sights are:
Religious buildings
- L'Aquila Cathedral: main church dedicated to Saint Maximus of Aveia (San Massimo), was built in the 13th century, but razed after the 1703 earthquake. The most recent façade dated from the 19th century, but the earthquake of 2009 and subsequent aftershocks collapsed parts of the transept and possibly more of the cathedral.
- Basilica of San Bernardino (1472): church has a fine Renaissance façade by Nicola Filotesio (commonly called Cola dell'Amatrice), and contains the monumental tomb of the saint (1480), decorated with sculptures, and executed by Silvestro Ariscola.
- Santa Maria di Collemaggio: church just outside the town, has a very fine, but simple, Romanesque façade (1270–1280) in red and white marble, with three 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.
- Santa Giusta: Romanesque façade with Gothic rose window
- San Silvestro: 14th-century Romanesque façade with Gothic rose window
Secular buildings
- Don Pedro de Toledo. In 2016, home to the National Museum of Abruzzo.
- Fontana Luminosa ("Luminous Fountain"): a 1930s sculpture of two women bearing large jars.
- Fontana delle novantanove cannelle (1272): a fountain with ninety-nine jets distributed along three walls. The source of the fountain is still unknown.
- L'Aquila cemetery: includes grave of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, 19th‑century German gay rights pioneer who lived in L'Aquila; every year, gay people from all over the world meet at the cemetery to honour his memory.[17]
- Palace of Nobles
- Roman ruins of Amiternum: ruins of an Ancient Roman city
Also nearby are several ski resorts like Gran Sasso d'Italia, the highest of the Apennines where in its valley the movie The Name of the Rose was filmed in the end of the 1980s. 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.
Culture
Cinematographic activities
The first step of L'Aquila in the cinematographic activities was the Cineforum Primo Piano founded by Gabriele Lucci in the middle of the 1970s. As a work of Lucci, in 1981 saw the establishment of l'Istituto Cinematografico dell'Aquila, an institute for the production and diffusion of the cinematographic culture in Italia and abroad.
The Teatro Stabile d'Abruzzo is based in the city and was formed in 2000.
Sport
The city is the home of five-time Italian champions
Frazioni
The following is a list of the
International relations
L'Aquila is
- Baalbek, Lebanon
- Bernalda, Italy
- Bistrița, Romania
- Cuenca, Spain
- Foggia, Italy
- Haining, China
- Hobart, Australia
- Rottweil, Germany
- Sant'Angelo d'Alife, Italy[19]
- Siena, Italy[20]
- Washington, United States
- York, Toronto, Canada
- Zielona Góra, Poland[21]
Transport
L'Aquila railway station, on the Terni–Sulmona railway, is the main train station of the city, with trains to Terni, Rieti and Sulmona.
Notable people
- Mariangelo Accorso, (Aquila, 1489 – Aquila, 1546), Humanist
- Amico Agnifili, (Rocca di Mezzo, 1398 – Aquila, 1476), Cardinal
- Antonia of Florence (1402–1472), saint
- Corrado Bafile (1903–2005), Cardinal
- Bernardino da Siena, (Massa Marittima, 1380 – Aquila, 1444), saint.
- Braccio da Montone, (Perugia, 1368 – Aquila, 1424), condottiero
- Giovanbattista Branconio dell'Aquila, (Aquila, 1473 – 1522), papal protonotary, friend of Raphael
- Buccio di Ranallo, (Aquila 1294 – Aquila 1363), epic poet, historian, Count of Pettino
- Raffaele Cappelli (1848–1921)
- John of Capistrano, (Capestrano, 1386 – Ilok, 1456), saint
- Celestine V, (?, 1215 – Fumone, 1296), saint
- Pompeo Cesura, (Aquila, ? – Rome, 1571), painter
- Appius Claudius Caecus, (Amiternum, 350 a.C. – ?, 271 a.C.), Roman Politician
- Marco Dall'Aquila (c.1480-after 1538), lutenist and composer
- Nazzareno De Angelis (1881–1962), opera singer
- Nicola Di Francia (born 1985), footballer
- Carlo Franchi (1938–2021), racing driver
- Nestore Leoni (1862–1947), painter
- Mario Magnotta (1942–2009), janitor and internet phenomena
- Lorenzo Natali, (Florence, 1922 – Rome, 1989), vice-president of the European Commission.
- Paul Piccone (1940–2004), founder and editor of TELOS.
- Roberto Ruscitti (b. 1941), composer
- Sallustius(4th century), historian
- Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (1825–1895), writer
- Trebisonda Valla, (Bologna 1916 – L'Aquila 2006), Olympic gold medal
- Amleto Vespa (1888–1940), spy for Japan
- Bruno Vespa (b. 1944), journalist
- Claudia Romani (b. 1982), modelù
- Ferdinando Bologna (1925–2019), Art historian
See also
- Orazio di Santis
- Santa Giusta (Bazzano, L'Aquila)
- 2009 L'Aquila earthquake
- L'Aquila Cathedral
References
- ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- Istat
- ^ "L'Aquila". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
- ^ "L'Aquila" (US) and "L'Aquila". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020.
- ^ "Abruzzo (Italy): Provinces, Major Cities & Communes - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ "L'Aquila, prov. of L'Aquila, Abruzzo". Abruzzo2000.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
- ^ Earth-prints.org
- ^ Aquila, il terremoto del 9 settembre 1349: 665 anni dopo, il racconto News Town
- ^ USGS.gov
- ^ "Powerful Italian quake kills many". BBC News. London. April 6, 2009.
- ^ "TG1 ed. 08.00 08.04 integrale" (in Italian). TG1. April 8, 2009. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
- ^ Hooper, John (April 28, 2009). "Pope visits Italian village hit hardest by earthquake". The Guardian. London.
- ^ RAI One news. Live reports from L'Aquila, retrieved April 6, 2009, =9:26 CET
- ^ "G8: Italy Wants to Move Summit to L'Aquila"[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Obama inspects quake damage in L'Aquila". EuroNews. July 9, 2009. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2009.
- ^ "Il clima dell'Aquila". CETEMPS. Archived from the original on November 21, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- ^ "L'Aquila, il ricordo di Karl Heinrich Ulrichs". Il Capoluogo (in Italian). August 23, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ "Gemellaggi: cooperazione L'Aquila-San Carlo de Bariloche" [Twinning: L'Aquila-San Carlo de Bariloche cooperation]. Consolato Generale d'Italia (in Italian). April 24, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ^ Adele Console (August 28, 2018). "Sant'Angelo D'Alife, il gemellaggio con l'Aquila compie dieci anni: Amministrazione in terra d' Abruzzo" [Sant'Angelo D'Alife, the twinning with L'Aquila turns ten: Administration in the Abruzzo region]. CasertaWeb (in Italian). Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ^ "Panathlon, confermato gemellaggio tra L'Aquila e Siena" [Panathlon, confirmed twinning between L'Aquila and Siena]. IlCapoluogo.it (in Italian). June 22, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ^ "Venti anni di gemellaggio con Zielona Góra: due giorni di incontri e iniziative" [Twenty years of twinning with Zielona Góra: two days of meetings and initiatives]. Città Dell'Aquila (in Italian). March 17, 2017. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
Sources
- Poland, Chris; Razzano, Holly; Scott, Andrew; Hernandez, Ricardo (2009). "L'Aquila, Italy: The Next Lesson". ISSN 0885-7024.
- Bindi, V. (1889). Monumenti storici ed artistici degli Abruzzi. Naples. p. 771 seq.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Aquila (city)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 249. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
External links
- Official website (in Italian)
- Gran Sasso Images, news (in Italian)
- Spanish Fortress
- The fountain of 99 spouts
- The images 9 years later 2009 Earthquake (2018)
- In the Land of Bears and Castles, The Financial Times, June 29, 2007