From the capital’s grand landmarks to the archaeological treasures of the Fucino, from the sanctuaries of the Maiella to the legacies of international humanitarian history, the 2026 European Heritage Days invite you to embark on an extraordinary journey along the A24 and A25 highways. This year’s edition, dedicated to the theme “Protecting Heritage: Renew, Resist, Reinvent,” features hundreds of events throughout Italy, offering the chance to discover places normally closed to the public and to reinterpret cultural heritage as a living resource capable of engaging with the present.
Before setting out on your trip, it’s worth noting Rome’s incredibly rich program of events, where museums, archaeological sites, historic buildings, and cultural landmarks are offering dozens of special openings and tours, including evening tours. There are so many that they alone are worth an entire weekend. For more information, please visit the official website, where you can find a list of all events organized by region.
From Rome to Teramo, via L’Aquila, Italy’s Capital of Culture
Leaving the capital, the first recommended stop is Tivoli. Here, the GEP weekend kicks off with a highly anticipated event: on Saturday, September 26, at 11 a.m., the Sanctuary of Hercules the Victor will inaugurate the restored section of the historic Via Tecta, one of the most evocative paths in the entire monumental complex. At the same location, at 6 p.m., the Certamen Ercole Vincitore will take place—a theater competition dedicated to the figure of the hero.
The Nearby Villas of Tivoli are participating with numerous initiatives. Among these, the theater workshop scheduled at Villa Adriana on the afternoon of Sunday, September 27, stands out as an original way to introduce young people to history and archaeology.
Continuing the journey inland from the Vicovaro/Mandela exit, you can reach the Villa of Horace in Licenza, in the Lucretili Mountains, and from there, via the Valle del Salto, the Baths of Vespasian in Cittaducale and the Villa of the Aurelii Cottae in Cottanello, in the Rieti area—all testaments to a region that was profoundly shaped by the Roman presence.
The route then enters Abruzzo, leading to L’Aquila. The European Heritage Days are one of the last opportunities to visit the MuNDA—housed in the 16th-century castle and open until 10 p.m. on Saturday, September 26—to see the exhibition “The Visitation in L’Aquila: Raphael and Pontormo,” which closes on September 27. This international event temporarily brings Raphael’s famous masterpiece—normally housed at the Prado Museum in Madrid—back to the city.
Also in the L’Aquila area, the Amiternum Archaeological Park—which is offering free guided tours on September 26—and the Forcona Archaeological Complex, set within the extraordinary historical setting of Civita di Bagno, are both worth a visit.
The final stop is in Teramo, accessible from the Teramo exit on the A24. Here, on Saturday, September 26, at 4:30 p.m., near the State Archives, the volume *Proceedings of the Continuing Education Program for Popularizers of the History of the Red Cross, Medicine, and the International Movement* will be presented—a collection of studies and research that demonstrates how cultural heritage can also be preserved through documentary records and historical research.
Dall’antico Lago Fucino all’Adriatico lungo l’autostrada A25
L’A25 conduce invece nel cuore della Marsica. L’uscita consigliata è Avezzano, punto di accesso al Parco Archeologico dei Cunicoli di Claudio, straordinaria opera di ingegneria realizzata dai Romani per disciplinare le acque dell’antico lago Fucino, il terzo lago più grande d’Italia finché non venne completamente prosciugato a fine Ottocento.
Proseguendo verso est, l’uscita Pescina permette di raggiungere San Benedetto dei Marsi, dove le aperture straordinarie legate agli scavi dell’antica Marruvium consentono di conoscere più da vicino la storia del popolo dei Marsi.
L’itinerario continua quindi verso la Valle Peligna. Con uscita Pratola Peligna-Sulmona si raggiunge l’area archeologica di Case Pente, mentre poco più a est, con uscita a Torre de’ Passeri/Casauria, si può partecipare alla conferenza sui bronzetti votivi del santuario di Sant’Ippolito presso il Museo Archeologico di Corfinio. Da non perdere le aperture serali dell’Abbazia di San Clemente a Casauria e di S. Onofrio al Morrone, dalle 20 alle 23 circa di sabato 26.
La stessa uscita consente di raggiungere Bolognano, dove apre eccezionalmente il Deposito Archeologico Comunale, e di prendere parte all’escursione verso Grotta Scura, immersa nei paesaggi più autentici del versante settentrionale della Maiella.
A pochi chilometri di distanza, a Lettomanoppello, una visita guidata conduce alla scoperta del Santuario di San Michele Arcangelo, meta che unisce spiritualità, archeologia e natura.
Il viaggio si conclude infine tra costa e collina. Dall’uscita Chieti/Pescara si raggiungono la storica Chiesa della Santissima Trinità di Chieti e il Museo Casa Natale di Gabriele d’Annunzio a Pescara, ultimo tassello di un itinerario che, in meno di trecento chilometri, attraversa il mondo romano, il Rinascimento, la storia religiosa e la memoria letteraria dell’Italia centrale.
