Summer in L’Aquila is in full swing with the return of “Cantieri dell’Immaginario,” the festival promoted by the City of L’Aquila and coordinated by the Teatro Stabile d’Abruzzo, which, once again this year, transforms the city’s squares, theaters, churches, and iconic landmarks into one large, open-air stage. In the year that L’Aquila is the Italian Capital of Culture 2026, the event takes on an even more special significance, forming part of an extraordinary program that is drawing visitors from all over Italy.
The 2026 edition was kicked off by a special guest: Roberto Bolle, star of the international gala “Roberto Bolle and Friends” on the spectacular San Bernardino Staircase, accompanied by some of the world’s leading dance stars. But the lineup doesn’t stop there: through August 6, more than thirty performances—including music, theater, dance, and comedy—will take the stage, bringing artists of the caliber of Nicola Piovani, Stefano Bollani, Giovanni Allevi, Giorgio Panariello, Arisa, Ermal Meta, and many others to L’Aquila.
The Cantieri dell’Immaginario offer one of the most fascinating opportunities to discover a city that, in 2026, is experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime cultural season. Strolling through the streets of the historic center means coming across exhibitions, installations, concerts, and events that showcase L’Aquila’s extraordinary capacity for renewal and its artistic heritage. Among the most anticipated events is the exhibition “The Visitation in L’Aquila: Raphael and Pontormo, ” which has temporarily brought back to the city, after nearly four centuries, the famous “Visitation” by Raphael, created for the Branconio family and intended for their chapel in the Church of San Silvestro but seized by a Spanish viceroy and taken to Spain, where it can now be admired at the Prado Museum in Madrid. The masterpiece is on display through the end of September at MuNDA in an unprecedented side-by-side comparison with Jacopo Pontormo’s “Visitation,” offering visitors an event of international significance.
For those traveling to L’Aquila via the A24 highway, the summer of 2026 offers the perfect opportunity to combine entertainment, art, and exploration of the region. From the major events of the Cantieri dell’Immaginario to exhibitions celebrating the Renaissance, and the numerous cultural events taking place throughout the historic center, the capital of Abruzzo reaffirms itself as a destination capable of surprising visitors and revealing, through culture, its most authentic identity.
