With the return of the “Nazzareno De Angelis” to the restored halls of Palazzo Farinosi Branconi, exhibitions, art, and walks mark the fall in the Italian Capital of Culture
Seventeen years after the 2009 earthquake, L’Aquila is preparing to welcome back one of the iconic landmarks of its cultural life. On Tuesday, November 17, the “Nazzareno De Angelis” Municipal Theater will reopen following extensive restoration and renovation work. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m., with Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli in attendance.
It is one of the most significant events of the year as part of the “L’Aquila, Italian Capital of Culture 2026” program, which, over the course of 300 days, has brought more than 300 events—including art, music, theater, film, dance, research, and community engagement—to the city and the surrounding area.
A Week to Rediscover the Theater
Designed by Luigi Catalani in collaboration with engineer Achille Marchi, the Teatro Comunale opened on May 14, 1873, with Giuseppe Verdi’s “Un ballo in maschera.” And it is Verdi himself who will mark the theater’s return to the city, this time with “La Traviata.”
The preview will take place on November 17; the official premiere (by invitation only) is scheduled for November 20; and a performance open to the public is scheduled for Sunday, November 22, at 5:00 p.m., which is already listed as sold out on the official calendar.
Guided tours of the restored spaces are also scheduled for November 19 and 21. The tours on the 21st are already sold out, as are the two Booklab sessions dedicated to reading with Francesca Crescentini, known as Tegamini.
The public will thus be able to rediscover the horseshoe-shaped stalls, the three tiers of boxes, the gallery, the Red Hall, and the restored decorative elements. The historic 19th-century curtain by Franz Hill has also been returned to its original place; it features approximately 100 square meters of painted surface, depicting the warriors of Amiterna as inspired by Book VII of the Aeneid.
Palazzo Farinosi Branconi: A Restored Building and a New Home for Art
Among the most interesting developments of the Capital of Culture year is the rebirth of Palazzo Farinosi Branconi, overlooking Piazza San Silvestro, one of L’Aquila’s most iconic historic buildings. Severely damaged by the 2009 earthquake, the building has been fully restored to use following a comprehensive project involving structural reinforcement, architectural restoration, and renovation. Since last September, it has been home to L’Aquila’s new cultural hub, La Galleria BPER.
A new permanent space for art that also serves as a journey through history. The exhibition “Treasure Chest of Memories. Landscapes, Color, and Tradition: Five Centuries of Southern Italian Art” brings a significant portion of the historic collection of the Cassa di Risparmio della Provincia dell’Aquila back to L’Aquila and brings together over 50 works, tracing five centuries of artistic connections between Abruzzo, Marche, Umbria, Rome, Naples, and Southern Italy.
But what makes the visit particularly evocative is the interplay between the artworks and the restored rooms of the palace. Among these, the Sala di San Clemente stands out, with its 17th-century fresco cycle and exquisite decorated wooden ceiling. After the earthquake, the frescoes had been removed to allow for the building’s stabilization; their reinstallation was made possible through meticulous research, three-dimensional surveys, and digital reconstructions.
On November 14, discover art while strolling with Aquila Picta
For those visiting L’Aquila on the weekend of November 13, there’s an event that lets you see the historic center through a different lens.
“AQUILA PICTA – Passeggiata” is scheduled for Saturday, November 14, at 11 a.m.; this initiative is part of the Opera Demopratica L’Aquila project. It is a walking tour dedicated to the religious devotion of the ancient inhabitants of L’Aquila, as depicted in the frescoes that still adorn the city’s streets and buildings today, featuring images of saints and patron saints invoked over the centuries.
The tour thus becomes a way to discover a widespread cultural heritage that is often overlooked by those who hurry through the city center: paintings, devotional images, and traces of religious history become stops along a walk that transforms the streets of L’Aquila into an open-air museum. The tour begins at Palazzo ONMI.
Fabio Mauri’s Years in L’Aquila at MAXXI
Meanwhile, at Palazzo Ardinghelli, “Fabio Mauri: The L’Aquila Years”—MAXXI’s major exhibition curated by Maurizio Cattelan and Marta Papini to mark the centennial of the artist’s birth—runs through January 24, 2027.
The exhibition explores, in particular, Mauri’s relationship with L’Aquila, where he taught “Aesthetics of Experimentation” at the Academy of Fine Arts from 1979 to 1999. The exhibition does not follow a simple chronological sequence but connects works, images, and installations to some of the major themes explored by the artist: ideology, consensus, representation, and memory.
Contemporary art, design, and photography in the heart of the city
But there’s more to see than that.
Through November 17, the former ONMI building is hosting the ADI Design Index 2026, which is being held in L’Aquila for the first time: the exhibition features 340 projects selected by the ADI Permanent Design Observatory, including products, services, materials, communication, research, and exhibition design.
In addition, from November 12 to December 13, Piazza Duomo will host “Beyond the Visible” by Liu Bolin. Three photographs related to the public performances of the Chinese artist—known internationally as “the invisible man”—are on display in the square’s shelter.
From November 7 to January 8, the former Monastery of St. Catherine of Siena will host the 20th edition of the National Arts Award, Visual Arts section, dedicated this year to the theme “Manifest Thought: Artistic Practices as Forms of Knowledge.”
And through November 29, the Sala Baiocco is hosting “Diversi Universi,” a free group exhibition organized by the Sinestesie Prize that brings together 70 artists from all over Italy, featuring works in painting, graphic art, sculpture, photography, video, and installations.
Also on Sunday, November 29, “Palazzi Aperti – Dimore Culturali” returns: monuments and historic residences in the old town will open their doors for guided tours, exhibitions, lectures, and concerts, offering another opportunity to explore L’Aquila’s architectural heritage from the inside. The final program will be published in the days leading up to the event.
Finally, for those already looking beyond November, here’s a sneak peek at MuNDA: starting December 4, the Castello Spagnolo will host the international exhibition “Between Athens and L’Aquila: Fragments and Memories of the Lenormant Relief.” The project stems from the discovery, in the museum’s storage, of a marble fragment depicting a Greek trireme linked to the famous Lenormant Relief housed at the Acropolis Museum in Athens.
From Piazza del Teatro to Piazza San Silvestro, from Palazzo Ardinghelli to Piazza Duomo, November offers more than one reason to visit L’Aquila and explore its historic center on foot, observing up close how places scarred by the earthquake have gradually been transformed back into spaces for gathering, entertainment, and culture.
For those coming from Rome, the route to the Italian Capital of Culture naturally takes you along the A24: a journey that, in November, leads you to the heart of a city that continues to give back to the community and the country some of its most precious sites.
