Italy’s 2026 Capital of Culture: the mountain city rewriting its future

Italy’s Capital of Culture 2026 is a mountain city that most tourists still skip in favour of Rome or the Amalfi Coast. It sits high in the Apennines, with snow-capped peaks framing church domes, and a history that’s been reshaped dramatically by the 2009 earthquake.

What is Italy’s Capital of Culture 2026?

Italy’s Capital of Culture is a national programme that spotlights a different city each year with funding, a cultural calendar and a lot of media attention. The 2026 title has gone to L’Aquila in the Abruzzo region. 

The idea is to boost cultural life, support urban regeneration and tempt people to look beyond the usual big hitters. The project tends to focus on cities that are trying to reinvent themselves or step out of the shadows. 

Why L’Aquila was named Italy’s Capital of Culture 2026

The Italian Capital of Culture programme was set up to spread cultural investment beyond the usual suspects and encourage cities to think long-term about their cultural identity. The competition is surprisingly fierce, with cities submitting detailed proposals on how they’ll use culture to shape their future. In L’Aquila’s case, the title is closely tied to its post-earthquake story and its role as a cultural hub for the wider Abruzzo region. 

The city’s bid leaned heavily on themes of resilience, heritage and contemporary creativity, using culture as a tool for both healing and rebooting the local economy. That combination of “living history” and visible reconstruction is exactly the sort of thing cultural panels love.

NurPhoto Getty images

L’Aquila’s story of resilience and cultural rebirth

The 2009 earthquake hit L’Aquila’s historic centre hard, leaving whole streets fenced off and baroque facades propped up by scaffolding. Over the years, the city has been quietly stitching itself back together, restoring churches, reopening theatres and bringing life back to piazzas that were once cordoned off.

L’Aquila in 2026: cultural programme, events and themes

By 2026, L’Aquila will be gearing up for around 300 events over 300 days, kicked off by an official opening ceremony on 17th January 2026. The whole thing is built around the idea of “One territory, a thousand capitals”, so you get a polycentric programme spread across L’Aquila, nearby towns, the surrounding Apennines and partner city Rieti. 

Emiciclo, L'Aquila. LuigiAlto, CC BY-SA 4.0 Creative commons

Headline events and projects for 2026

• A new, world‑premiere opera by Nicola Piovani, commissioned to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Società Aquilana dei Concerti “Bonaventura Barattelli”.
• A major project for the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis, combining the words of Davide Rondoni, the music of Roberto Molinelli and the voice of Simona Molinari.
• The first “Vittorio Antonellini” International Conducting Competition for young conductors.
• A big autumn exhibition at MAXXI L’Aquila, dedicated to Fabio Mauri for the centenary of his birth.
• Marinella Senatore’s participatory project “Sond – The School of Narrative Dance” at the end of May 2026, turning streets and squares into a huge parade of dance, music and theatre with residents, schools and associations.
• The 20th National Arts Award hosted in L’Aquila, plus a large contemporary sculpture exhibition at the Academy of Fine Arts.
• The ItARTS – Back to L’Aquila festival at the “A. Casella” Conservatory in February 2026, rounding off its international programme.

Things to do in L’Aquila

L’Aquila is wrapped by a ridge of peaks that gives the city a dramatic, amphitheatre feel. It’s in Abruzzo, a region Italians rate for wilderness and food, but which most foreign visitors still barely know. Rome is close enough for an easy day trip, yet when you arrive, the pace, the cooler air and the quieter nightscape make it feel a world away.

NurPhoto Getty images

• Wander the compact historic centre, with its stone lanes, grand piazzas and baroque churches framed by mountain views.
• Explore the fortress and older palazzi that act as a living symbol of the city’s medieval roots and later baroque heyday.
• Notice the contrast between freshly restored facades, ongoing works and the occasional scar left by the 2009 earthquake.
• In 2026, catch performances, installations and open‑air events in courtyards, cloisters and squares that double as cultural stages.

Food, wine and local traditions in Abruzzo’s mountain capital

• Try hearty mountain dishes like lamb skewers, slow‑cooked ragù and rich local cheeses and cured meats in unfussy trattorias.
• Look out for Abruzzo saffron from the nearby plains, which pops up in risotti, sauces and even local sweets.
• Sample generous, good‑value Abruzzo wines at bars and during tastings that often run alongside cultural events and festivals.
• Tuck into classic pasta dishes from central Italy, like the internationally famous cacio e pepe.

Lasagnolo9, CC BY-SA 4.0 Creative commons

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