# L'Aquila 2026: a title year and a rite from 1294

> L'Aquila is Italian capital of culture for 2026, opened on January 17 with over 300 events, and the Perdonanza runs from August 23 to 30, 2026.

URL: https://myitalia.it/towns/l-aquila/events
Last updated: 2026-09-03

L'Aquila holds the Italian capital of culture title for 2026, a year opened on January 17 with more than 300 announced initiatives, and its own August rite, the Perdonanza Celestiniana, has been on the UNESCO intangible heritage list since 2019.

## The title, and what came with it

L'Aquila was proclaimed Italian capital of culture for 2026 on March 14, 2024, in the Sala Spadolini at the culture ministry, with the dossier "L'Aquila. Citta Multiverso" and a state grant of €1 million. The jury was chaired by Davide Maria Desario.

Ten cities reached the final round: Agnone, Alba, Gaeta, L'Aquila, Latina, Lucera, Maratea, Rimini, Treviso and the Valdichiana Senese union of comuni. The winning dossier is built on four axes, social cohesion, wellbeing, innovation and environmental sustainability.

For a visitor, the useful part of a title year is not the ribbon. It is that buildings reopen on a deadline.

## January 17, 2026, and the venues that came back

The year was inaugurated on January 17, 2026 with a program of more than 300 initiatives and the return to public use of three landmarks: the Teatro Comunale, the Teatro San Filippo and the MuNDA at the Forte Spagnolo.

The program also announced the first urban cultural observatory in Italy, set up to measure the impact of cultural policy rather than to count tickets.

Treat the 300 figure as a declaration by the organizers rather than a settled total. It comes from the ministry release, and a program that size is revised through the year.

## The Perdonanza: August 23 to 30, 2026

The Perdonanza Celestiniana has been inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2019, reference 01276, decision 14.COM 10.b.19, for the city and province of L'Aquila.

The 2026 edition runs from August 23 to 30, with the Holy Door of the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio opened on the evening of August 28 and closed on the evening of August 29. The ritual descends from the Bull of Pardon issued by Celestine V in 1294 and has run since.

Note a discrepancy worth knowing before you book: the UNESCO record gives the window as August 23 to 29, while the organizing committee publishes August 23 to 30 for 2026. The dates move each year, so read the committee, not the encyclopedia.

## What the days look like

Three elements repeat every year: the Corteo della Bolla, a procession carrying the papal bull with around 1,000 costumed participants, the lighting of the Fire of Morrone, and a walk of pardon that crosses 23 villages.

The Holy Door rite is the fixed hinge. Everything else in the week arranges itself around the evening of August 28.

Two practical notes on the sources. The committee's own domain has an invalid certificate on the www subdomain, and the regional tourism site fails on TLS chain verification, so both had to be read another way: if a link breaks on you, that is why. See [the Perdonanza page](/events/perdonanza-celestiniana), [Italian capitals of culture](/events/capitali-italiane-della-cultura) and [L'Aquila](/towns/l-aquila).

## FAQ

### What is L'Aquila's capital of culture year?

The Italian capital of culture title for 2026, awarded on March 14, 2024 at the culture ministry with the dossier L'Aquila. Citta Multiverso and a state grant of €1 million. Ten cities reached the final shortlist, among them Rimini, Treviso, Alba and Gaeta.

### When does the Perdonanza take place?

In August. The 2026 edition runs August 23 to 30, with the Holy Door of Collemaggio opened on the evening of August 28 and closed on the evening of August 29. The UNESCO record gives the window as August 23 to 29, so check the committee's dates each year.

### Is the Perdonanza a UNESCO listed event?

Yes, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2019, reference 01276, decision 14.COM 10.b.19. That is a different list from World Heritage: it protects a practice, not a place.

### What actually happens during the Perdonanza?

A procession carries the papal bull, the Fire of Morrone is lit, and a walk of pardon crosses 23 villages. Around 1,000 costumed participants take part in the procession, and the tradition traces back to the Bull of Pardon issued by Celestine V in 1294.

### What opened for the capital of culture year?

The year began on January 17, 2026 with more than 300 planned initiatives and the handing back of landmark venues: the Teatro Comunale, the Teatro San Filippo and the MuNDA in the Forte Spagnolo. The 300 figure is what the organizers announced, not a final count.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| L'Aquila e' Capitale italiana della cultura 2026: la proclamazione e' avvenuta il 14 marzo 2024 al Ministero della Cultura, con il dossier "L'Aquila. Citta' Multiverso" e un contributo statale di 1 milione di euro. | [Ministero della Cultura - Capitali della cultura](https://capitalidellacultura.cultura.gov.it/laquila-capitale-italiana-della-cultura-2026/); [Ministero della Cultura](https://cultura.gov.it/comunicato/28576) | high | 2099-12-31 |
| L'anno da Capitale italiana della cultura e' stato inaugurato a L'Aquila il 17 gennaio 2026 con un programma di oltre 300 iniziative e la restituzione alla citta' di luoghi simbolo (Teatro Comunale, Teatro San Filippo, MuNDA al Forte Spagnolo). | [Ministero della Cultura](https://cultura.gov.it/comunicato/28576) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| La Perdonanza Celestiniana dell'Aquila e' iscritta dal 2019 nella Lista rappresentativa del patrimonio culturale immateriale dell'UNESCO (rif. 01276); la tradizione risale alla Bolla del Perdono di Celestino V del 1294 e la manifestazione si tiene in agosto, con l'apertura della Porta Santa di Collemaggio la sera del 28 agosto. | [UNESCO - Intangible Cultural Heritage](https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/celestinian-forgiveness-celebration-01276); [Comitato Perdonanza Celestiniana](https://perdonanza-celestiniana.it/); [Regione Abruzzo - Dipartimento Turismo](https://www.abruzzoturismo.it/it/destinazioni/basilica-di-collemaggio-laquila) | high | 2027-06-30 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/city.l-aquila.1600.jpg
Author: LIAP. License: CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Castello_500.JPG

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/paesi/l-aquila/eventi.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/pueblos/l-aquila/eventos.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/villages/l-aquila/evenements.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/orte/l-aquila/veranstaltungen.md