Avezzano

Avezzano is a city in Abruzzo. Avezzano is an excellent starting point to reach the numerous mountain locations of Marsica.

Understand

View of Avezzano from mount Salviano

The city centre of Avezzano essentially revolves around the large Piazza Risorgimento which overlooks the mother church of the diocese, the Cathedral of the Marsi, rebuilt from scratch after the disastrous earthquake that destroyed the old historic city centre in 1915. The central area includes the generating points of Piazza Matteotti, near the railway station, and Piazza Castello from which the main arteries branch out in a radial pattern.

The modern appearance of Avezzano is characterised by a regular structure made up of streets frequently crossing at right angles and an orthogonal road network. The road system is mostly equipped with wide, tree-lined sidewalks. The use of a map is recommended, however the city centre, not being particularly large, allows you to reach the Town Hall, Piazza della Repubblica and the gardens of Piazza Torlonia quite easily by crossing the central Corso della Libertà and Via Guglielmo Marconi.

Not far away is the Torlonia park which houses the historic building of the same name, the romantic garden and the wooden pavilion. A short distance away are the Orsini-Colonna castle and the church of San Giovanni Decollato.

The best times to visit the city of Avezzano are spring and summer.

Get in

By car

The city is easily reached via the A24 Rome - L'Aquila - Teramo motorway and the branch of the A25 Torano - Pescara motorway , which is located a few kilometres from the Avezzano toll booth. The other roads that make up the main network are the Avezzano- Sora highway (SS 690), the state road 82 of the Liri Valley, the state road 5 Via Tiburtina Valeria and the state road 578 Salto Cicolana.

By train

Avezzano station is served by the connections that run along the Rome-Avezzano- Sulmona -Pescara railway and also acts as a branch point for the Avezzano- Roccasecca line which connects the city with Sora and Cassino.

The Trenitalia national network manages the Rome-Avezzano-Sulmona-Pescara and Avezzano-Roccasecca railway lines. Some examples of routes are:

• From Rome Termini to Avezzano (average travel time approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes)
• From Rome Tiburtina to Avezzano (about 1 hour and 50 minutes)
• From Pescara Centrale to Avezzano (about 1 hour and 50 minutes)
• From Roccasecca to Avezzano (about 2 hours)

By bus

• 1 TUA (Società Unica Abruzzese di Trasporto), Bus terminal: via Salvador Allende; ticket office: piazzale JF Kennedy (behind the train station), ☏ +39 0863 4588239, toll-free: 800 762 622. TUA bus lines connect the city to Castel di Sangro, L'Aquila, Pescara, Rome, Sora and other locations in Abruzzo. 
• 2 Autolinee Cotral (Compagnia trasporti laziali), via Salvador Allende, Avezzano (corner of via Bruno Cassinelli), ☏ +39 06 72057205, toll-free: 800 174 471. Cotral buses connect the city to Borgorose , Rieti and other locations in Lazio. 
• Some other long-distance bus lines connect Avezzano to various Italian locations such as Rome, Pescara, Naples, Ancona, Bologna, Milan and also to foreign locations.

Get around

Public transport is managed by the SCAV (Società Comunale Autobus Avezzano).

Taxis are available by direct call at the parking lot in Piazza Matteotti (in front of the Avezzano train station) from Taxi Avezzano.

See

Orsini-Colonna Castle

• 1 Orsini-Colonna Castle, Piazza Castello (city centre), ☏ +39 0863 5011, comune.avezzano.aq@postecert.it. The manor was built in 1490 by Gentile Virginio Orsini on the remains of the pre-existing 12th century tower of the feudal lord Gentile di Palearia. Thanks to Marcantonio Colonna, who chose Avezzano among his residences, in the 16th century the castle was adapted to a fortified noble palace surrounded by a garden. Severely damaged by the 1915 earthquake and the bombings of 1944, it was restored in the 1990s based on a project by the architect Alessandro Del Bufalo after a long planning and bureaucratic process. On the first floor, the stage and stalls for theatrical performances and conferences were built, while some areas of the upper floor hosted the modern art gallery for several years. You can admire the models reproducing some historical areas of the city before the 1915 earthquake such as Piazza Castello and Palazzo Torlonia.  

Villa Torlonia

• 2 Villa Torlonia, via XXIV Maggio (Torlonia square), comune.avezzano.aq@postecert.it. Villa Torlonia is an important park in the centre of Avezzano. With a rectangular plan, it extends, together with the adjacent public garden of Piazza Torlonia, for over five hectares and includes the palace of the same name, the spaces dedicated to the section of the State Archives, the "Antonio Picchi" conference room, the prince's ice house and the museum of peasant and pastoral civilisation set up in the characteristic Torlonia pavilion. In the park it is possible to admire the romantic garden and the centuries-old trees of various species that make it a green lung located in the centre of the city. The buildings present inside the park, originally used as warehouses and granaries, are often used for exhibitions and fairs. In the large garden there is an interesting collection of agricultural vehicles, used by the first farmers of Fucino between the end of the nineteenth century and the first decades of the following century, to thin out and plough the land and to thresh wheat and cereals. You can also visit an artificial lake located in front of the snow house. Inside the park there are two cast iron statues depicting the Immaculate Conception, the sculptures made by a Neapolitan workshop were used by Alessandro Torlonia to mark the borders of the emerged lands of the former Fucino lake drained in the second half of the 19th century.  
• 3 Torlonia Pavilion (Padiglione Torlonia), Piazza Torlonia, comune.avezzano.aq@postecert.it. The Torlonia Pavilion, improperly called the "Chalet" or "Hunting Lodge", is a wooden structure with an octagonal plan and sloping roofs that cover very well-preserved remains, whose portico is embellished with intertwining branches and framed by flints. The structure was built in larch and chestnut wood by the Roman carpenters of the Frosini and Boccaccini firm in 1891. The work that was purchased by Alessandro Torlonia to embellish his villa was used to display the archaeological finds that emerged during the draining of the Fucino and the weapons of the Torlonia family that determined the meaning of "Hunting Lodge". Not compromised by the 1915 earthquake, it underwent an important first restoration in 1980, during which the artist from Marsica Pasquale Di Fabio created the paintings of the vault. The pavilion houses the museum of peasant and pastoral civilization: the tools of toil and agricultural industriousness have thus found hospitality in an environment that in history was the exclusive prerogative of the nobility. On the walls you can see period photographs of Lake Fucino and the riparian villages that lived off the abundant fish of the waters. Finally, there are preserved 19th-century illustrations by the English traveller Edward Lear with ink depictions of the landscapes of the Marsica.  
• 4 Cathedral of the Marsi (Cattedrale di Avezzano), Piazza Risorgimento (city centre), ☏ +39 0863 413827. The church, rebuilt several times over the centuries, was destroyed again in 1915 due to the earthquake that hit the Marsica. The sacred building, relocated from its previous site, was rebuilt starting in the 1930s based on the project of the architect Sebastiano Bultrini. The original post-earthquake reconstruction project, however, underwent significant changes. The church, consecrated in 1942, became the new cathedral of the diocese of the Marsi. In fact, the diocesan chair was transferred from Pescina to Avezzano , as early as 1924 with the papal bull "Quo aptius" by Pope Pius XI. Damaged again by the air raids of 1944, fortunately it did not suffer irreparable damage. It was restored based on the preliminary project of the architect Pasquarelli, and finally on the definitive project of the engineer Giuseppe Mazzocca who designed the square in front. It is large and has a Latin cross base and three spacious naves divided by pillars. The organ built in 1975 is the work of the Pontificia Fabbrica d'organi Tamburini. The church is flanked on the side of via Marconi by the tall bell tower with a square base.  
• 5 Sanctuary of the Madonna di Pietraquaria (Santuario della Madonna di Pietraquaria), Nucleus of Pietraquaria, regional road 82, Monte Salviano, ☏ +39 0863 413827. Located on Mount Salviano, the sanctuary was rebuilt by the people of Avezzano at the beginning of the 19th century on the basis of a smaller place of worship dating back to the 13th century. The church and the original nucleus were destroyed by Charles I of Anjou in retaliation after the victory over Corradino di Svevia in 1268 following the battle of Tagliacozzo . Along the Via Crucis of Mount Salviano is the chapel that preserves the stone where, according to legend, at the beginning of the 19th century the Madonna's horse cut one of its hooves with a blow. Mary asked a deaf-mute shepherd, after having restored his speech and hearing, to invite the inhabitants to rebuild the sanctuary dedicated to her. The new religious building of modest dimensions was built starting from the early 17th century and was definitively expanded in the 19th century. At the end of the 19th century, the convent and the bell tower were rebuilt by order of Alessandro Torlonia, drainer and prince of Fucino. The structure has a Latin cross base with a single nave. The convent, located next to the church, is guarded by the Capuchin friars and annexes the Domus Mariae built in the 1950s.  
• 6 Church of San Giovanni Decollato (Chiesa di San Giovanni Decollato), Piazza Castello/Via San Francesco (city centre), ☏ +39 0863 413193. The original building, whose construction dates back to the last years of the 13th century, was dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi. The church, which almost completely collapsed following the earthquake of 1915, was rebuilt in the 1930s and dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. Located in front of the Orsini-Colonna castle, it is characterised by varied architectural styles, having undergone expansions and adjustments over the centuries, in addition to the reconstruction completed in the last century. The 16th-century side portal comes from the disappeared church of Santa Maria in Vico, which was completely lost following the earthquake. The pediment of the front facade features the Latin phrase from the Old Testament "Quam terribilis est locus iste". With a single nave, its interior is a mix of various architectural styles and traces of Franciscan Gothic. The square-based bell tower with a spire stands out in front of the castle.  
• 7 Town Hall (Palazzo Municipale), Piazza della Repubblica, 8 (city centre), ☏ +39 0863 5011. It houses the administrative offices of the municipality of Avezzano. Designed in 1920 by the engineer Sebastiano Bultrini, it was inaugurated in the first half of the twenties and finally completed in 1928, a few years after the earthquake of 1915. Stylistically, the building presents itself as a Tuscan residence of the fifteenth century with neo-medieval architectural elements and a facade accompanied laterally by two symmetrical turrets with circular windows on the upper part and mullioned windows on the lower part. The three triple lancet windows are positioned on the central body equipped with a balcony. The ground floor is characterized by a portico on pillars where in 1931 a commemorative plaque was installed, the work of the architect Luigi Gallo, in memory of Nazario Sauro who, together with the irredentists, helped the population struck by the earthquake of 1915. Inside, the paintings of Ferdinando Stracuzzi depict the works for the reclamation of the Fucino area and the reconstruction of the city after 1915. Some small plates made by Carlo Albani depicting the official coats of arms of the municipality are on display. The romantic garden, in which some archaeological finds are found, surrounds the rear of the building.  
• 8 Claudio's Tunnels (Cunicoli di Claudio), via Galileo Galilei, ☏ +39 0863 455734. On the western edges of the Fucino plain, on the slopes of Mount Salviano, are the imposing Cunicoli di Claudio. They extend in an underground path beyond Mount Salviano for about 5,600 m, presenting a section with a diameter varying from 5 to 10 m². The work, dating back to the first century AD, between 41 and 52, is due to the Roman emperor Claudius who was the first to attempt to drain Lake Fucino. Its construction saw the exploitation of 25,000 men, including workers and slaves who also manually dug tunnels and service wells for the emissary for over a decade. The Claudian work includes 32 vertical wells and 6 inclined tunnels that served as support for the main emissary that allowed the flow of the lake waters beyond the belly of Mount Salviano along the Liri river on the opposite side in the municipality of Capistrello . In 1977 the archaeological park was inaugurated with the aim of preserving and enhancing the historical-architectural heritage. Not far away in Borgo Incile is the head of the Claudio-Torlonian emissary on which stands the imposing statue of Maria Immacolata Concezione, the work of the architect Carlo Nicola Carnevali.  
• 9 Incile del Fucino, Strada 20 del Fucino (Borgo Incile), ☏ +39 0863 414870. In 41 AD, in addition to the tunnels of the same name, the Emperor Claudius also built the Roman emissary through which the lake could be drained. 18 centuries later, Alessandro Torlonia, taking up the work again and finally draining the lake basin, restored and enlarged the underground tunnel. Over 6 km long, it has a variable section from 5 to 10 m² with a difference in height of 8.44 m and a gradient of 1.5 m/km. The majestic work that overlooks the emissary is in neoclassical style and was built in 1876. The architect Carlo Nicola Carnevali designed the floodgate bridge and the seven-meter-high stone statue of the Immaculate Conception of Mary above it, in addition to the surrounding Italian garden. The still functioning Incile del Fucino has two basins, one trapezoidal, the other hexagonal in shape, and three sluice gates. A small gorge separates the main basin from the forebay area. Visits to the monumental area are possible with a guide and reservation.  
• 10 Guided nature reserve of Monte Salviano (Riserva naturale guidata Monte Salviano), Monte Salviano (regional road 82 of the Liri Valley), ☏ +39 0863 501249. The Monte Salviano Reserve , formerly a periurban park, covers approximately 722 hectares. The protected area is popular for jogging and physical exercise, as it has a pedestrian path, protected from road traffic, and several mapped and marked trails. The pine forest, composed mostly of black pines and chestnut trees, is the area with the greatest characterization of the reserve, especially along the path that leads to the sanctuary of the Madonna di Pietraquaria. Among the typical animals of the reserve, we find the squirrel (symbol of the protected area), the badger, the fox, the skunk, the weasel, the hare, the griffon vulture and numerous finches. The area is rich in salvia officinalis and the yellow flowers of the salvione. The sanctuary of the Madonna di Pietraquaria, located at 1,000 meters above sea level, is one of the most loved and frequented places in the city. Nearby is the Pilgrim's House, a structure where herbs, plants and fruits of the mountain are exhibited. On the pass is the work of the sculptor Pietro Cascella inspired by the creation of life, called "Teatro della Germinazione". The most fascinating and interesting paths are the ancient "Via dei Marsi", a mountain path already existing in pre-Roman times and the path named after the scouting pioneer, Lord Baden Powell, which leads to the "Crocione", a wooden giant placed among the centuries-old trees in 1902.  
• 11 Former collegiate church of San Bartolomeo (Collegiata di San Bartolomeo), Largo San Bartolomeo, via Orazio Mattei, ☏ +39 0863 31163. The collegiate church of San Bartolomeo was the main religious building in Avezzano. The church was completely destroyed in the earthquake of 13 January 1915. The foundations of the building were brought to light in the excavation area. Over the years, the collective tombs, the priests' tomb, the ossuary and the remains of the church dating back to between the 16th and 18th centuries and some areas of the pre-existing churches built in the 9th-10th centuries and in the 12th century have emerged. By order of Marcantonio Colonna, a cardinal in the 18th century, the church became one of the spiritual homes of the Trinitarian nuns. The founder of the religious institute, Mother Maria Teresa Cucchiari, worked here from 1762. The nun was buried in a tomb of the religious building on June 10, 1801. The excavation campaign, which began in 2004, allowed the rediscovery of various elements relating to the imperial, medieval and Renaissance phases of the former collegiate church. In 2017, the remains of seven tombs from the Aragonese era were brought to light. The area undergoing further excavation and investigation activities represents the original urban centr3 of Avezzano before the devastation of the earthquake. In 1965, the civil engineering department created the commemorative monument by rebuilding a small part of the bell tower.  
• 12 Ciccio Felice Cave (Grotta di Ciccio Felice), via Antonio Pacinotti, ☏ +39 0863 501272. A natural cavity that opens on the eastern slopes of Mount Salviano at road 6 on the western edge of the Fucino plain. The small cave is about 10 m deep, about 23 m wide and 2 to 4 m high. The first exploration, dating back to 1949, and subsequent studies have made it possible to reconstruct much of the history of man and the ways in which he settled in the Fucino area over the last 20,000 years. During the Second World War, the cave was used by the inhabitants of Avezzano as a shelter from the Allied air raids that devastated the city located north of the Cassino line and along the road and rail communications axes of central Italy. The cave is flanked a short distance away by the Afra cave, a smaller shelter discovered in 1956. The first scientific news relating to the exploration and research in the Ciccio Felice cave date back to 1949 after the archaeologist Pietro Barocelli together with Antonio Mario Radmilli carried out the first reconnaissance inside the cavity, further excavations and research followed during the 20th century.  
• 13 Funerary monuments of Valle Solegara (Monumenti funerari di Valle Solegara), Valle Solegara (between Antrosano and the northern area of the city). South of the Pettorino hill of Alba Fucens, between the hamlet of Antrosano and the northern area of the city, there are the funerary monuments of Valle Solegara. The mausoleums located on the side of the original route of Via Valeria date back to the imperial era. In the same area, traces of tombs have emerged that most likely date back to between the 7th and 5th centuries BC, therefore prior to the construction of the Roman colony of Alba. Not far away, between the hamlets of Antrosano and Cappelle dei Marsi, there is the archaeological site of Cretaro-Brecciara, whose necropolis was brought to light during the construction work of the Avezzano intermodal hub. The tombs date back to between the 8th and 7th centuries BC, while other finds such as armor discs, ornamental female discs and pendants can be traced back to the Republican era. 
• 14 Roman Villa (Villa romana), via Tiburtina Valeria km 112,500 ("I Marsi" shopping centre), ☏ +39 0863 31163. This archaeological site presents the remains of a large rustic building constructed in the Roman era. Located in the territory of the contemporary city of Avezzano, along the original and ancient route of the Via Tiburtina Valeria, the remains of the villa are flanked by the modern state road 5 Via Tiburtina Valeria. The area of archaeological interest was brought to light in 2004 following excavation work aimed at creating a shopping center and was opened to the public in 2008. Built in the 2nd century BC on a farm of about 3,000 m² that fell within the countryside of Alba Fucens , the colony founded by the Romans between 304 and 303 BC. The farm was used by the colonists primarily for agricultural cultivation and for other productive activities that were necessary for the needs of the large population of Alba Fucens. Inhabited until the beginning of the 6th century AD, the Roman villa was most likely abandoned following an earthquake that devastated the entire area.  
• 15 Aia dei Musei, via Nuova, 33 (Borgo Via Nuova), ☏ +39 0863 1809821. The museum is divided into two sections: "Le Parole della Pietra", the former lapidary museum of Avezzano which houses about a hundred tombstones and inscriptions from the Roman era to the Renaissance, up to the small room dedicated to the earthquake of 1915 and "Il Filo dell'Acqua", an exhibition space dedicated to the draining of Lake Fucino which is a multimedia installation which illustrates the great hydraulic work that led to the disappearance of the third largest lake in Italy, modifying the economy and habits of the inhabitants of Marsica. The room dedicated to the city of Avezzano before the 1915 earthquake contains coats of arms, the portal of the Church of San Nicola, the capitals of the cathedral of San Bartolomeo and other pieces from buildings destroyed by the 1915 earthquake. The other rooms display epigraphs that speak of Roman figures such as the dictator Silla and the head of the Italian League Poppedio Silone, and tombstones from the archaeological areas of Alba Fucens, Lucus Angitiae, Marruvium and Ortona dei Marsi. The annexed "Giovanni Bozzi" cultural center hosts a rich library. Guided tours by reservation.  
• 16 Museum of Electronic Entertainment (Museo dell'intrattenimento elettronico), via Sandro Pertini, 105, ☏ +39 353 4287649. The museum, dedicated to electronics and information technology, permanently houses computers, consoles, pinball machines, arcade cabinets and video games made between the 1970s and the 2000s on a covered surface of approximately 1,500 m². Inaugurated in 2021, it features two large game rooms, two test rooms for playful interaction and exhibition spaces dedicated to retrogaming and retrocomputing. The game rooms do not feature gambling systems and smoking and drinking alcohol are prohibited. The museum spaces highlight the ingenious works of electronic, digital and musical entertainment. 

Art galleries

• 17 Archè art shop (Bottega d'arte Archè), via II Giugno, 33 (city centre), ☏ +39 339 7200354. Since 1998, the workshop has been hosting collective exhibitions of contemporary art. 
• 18 Municipal Gallery of Modern Art (Galleria Comunale di Arte Moderna), via Corradini, 75 (city centre, c/o Pro Loco Avezzano headquarters), ☏ +39 0863 5011. Historical space of figurative art. 
• 19 Ennio Gentile Artisan Laboratory (Laboratorio Artigiano Ennio Gentile), via Monte Salviano, 5 (via Roma). Exhibition of antique furniture, artistic decorations, antiques. 
• 20 Studio Uno (ripartiamo da zero), piazza Castello, 7 (near the Orsini-Colonna castle), ☏ +39 389 2534240. Exhibition space for emerging artists, contemporary art installations. 

Alba Fucens e il monte Velino

• 21 Alba Fucens (approximately 7 km north of Avezzano), ☏ +39 0863 519144. An archaeological site that occupies an elevated and well-fortified position. It was founded by Rome as a colony under Latin law in 304 BC, or according to other sources in 303 BC, in the territory of the Equi, close to that occupied by the Marsi, in a strategic position. It developed on a hill just north of the Via Tiburtina Valeria, an artery that was probably extended beyond Tibur in this same period. It was populated by 6,000 colonists who built, in the years immediately following their settlement, a first wall. It later became a place to confine important state prisoners, such as Syphax king of Numidia, Perseus king of Macedonia, Bituitus, king of the Arverni. Thanks to its location, the city was always considered strategically important, especially during the civil wars. For this reason it was attacked by the allies during the Social War, but remained faithful to Rome. In the post-war period, systematic excavations were undertaken for the first time to deepen historical and cultural knowledge of the city. The city is enclosed within a wall about 2.9 km long, largely preserved to the present day. The external walls are built with polygonal boulders perfectly set together and the surfaces are smooth. There is a single tower and two bastions protecting three of the four main gates. On one of these bastions there are phallic symbols that were supposed to ward off evil forces. On the northern side, a triple defensive line had been built for a length of approximately 140 metres, erected in different eras. 

Do

Walk in nature reserve of monte Salviano and archaeological park of Cunicoli di Claudio.

Events

Between April 25 and 27, the city's patron saint is celebrated: the Madonna di Pietraquaria. On April 26, as evening falls, the so-called "focaracci" are lit in all the city's neighbourhoods, large bonfires around which residents, visitors and emigrants who return to Avezzano from all over gather for the occasion. The day before, however, the large fair takes place along the main streets of the center.

In May, the tradition of Marian walks in the Monte Salviano guided nature reserve and along the Via Crucis, up to the sanctuary dedicated to the Madonna di Pietraquaria, continues.

In the summer, the Avezzano circuit is held, a sporting event reserved for vintage cars.

In August, the Settimana Marsicana takes place, a festival that offers a series of events related to art, agriculture, sports, artisanal and industrial activities with the involvement of numerous Marsican associations.

The city appears very dynamic on all weekends of the year a large Saturday market, shops in the city centre and large shopping centres.

The Santo Stefano fair takes place on December 26. Hundreds of stands and other attractions attract thousands of visitors.

Throughout the Christmas period, the traditional market is set up with wooden kiosks and the ice skating rink of the Christmas village.

Drink

• Bingo Palace, Tiburtina Valeria street. (updated Jan 2016)
• Fragile, XX Settembre street. (updated Jan 2016)

Sleep

• Hotel Olimpia, Tiburtina Valeria street. (updated Jan 2016)
• Hotel Principe, Oslavia street. (updated Jan 2016)

Go next

Routes through Avezzano

Rome ← Tivoli ←

W  E

→ Bugnara → Pescara