Home » Highlights » Itineraries in L'Aquila » L’Aquila: Places of Poetry
In their discovery (or re-discovery) of the city of L’Aquila, travellers are guided by poets and writers who, in one way or another, succumbed to this area’s charm.
Author: Sandro Cordeschi - Lhasa
Travelling down time, renowned poets and writers discovered the subtle charm of this city and left testimonies tying the places of L’Aquila to dreams and ideals, thereby turning them into “spiritual places,” both real and imaginary. It was here that Ezra Pound was inspired by the Fountain of 99 Spouts, remembering Homer’s description of a font in Ithaca, where nymphs liked to pass their time: “above it an altar to nymphs”.
Starting from Borgo della Rivera (original site of foundation), visitors can make their way among the signs of the springs which the city takes its name from, and discover the ancient stones that still absorb and embody time itself. Next to the famed monumental fountain, which takes its name from the number 99, a mystical and magical number, stands the ancient gateway, now partially in ruins, the old mill just outside the city walls, the luminous, Romanesque façade of San Vito, the houses of the ancient village; and the fountain which is said to have been the first ever to provide the new citizens with water.
They are cornerstones in L’Aquila’s history, and offer guests a vision of another era that still seems to be alive today. Going back up the steep slope towards the Convent of Santa Chiara d’Aquili, another reminder of the city’s origins, one can find the Latin couplet by an anonymous author from the 1600s, which attributed the patronage of L’Aquila not to one of its protector saints, but rather, to the Immaculate Conception, ensuring health and happiness. The philosopher Nietzsche, was of a different mind: history and his personal imagination told him that L’Aquila dated back to Ancient Rome, and in the city he saw an air of nobility that it still reveals today, from the downtown buildings to the pride it takes in its history.
After walking up part of Via Fontesecco, one of the historical access-ways to the upper part of the city (it is worth stopping for a moment to admire the fountain), the narrow and steep alley “del Cembalo dei Colantoni” puts visitors in direct contact with the history of L’Aquila’s population, with the city’s present and its history, with its ancient and present-day ruins, and its artisan workshops that seem ready to return to life at any moment. This will bring you to Piazza Duomo, where the proud remnants of buildings, churches, and fountains, along with the intuition and words of Carlo Emilio Gadda, will allow you to take in the noises of the lively marketplace, the beating heart of the place that this writer called “the polis of the mountains”. Afterwards, be sure to stop in the centre of the square to look around in every direction – you can almost feel the many colours and shapes of the world about to break the silence of dawn, as well as the unexpected drama that started every day, in a distant and remote past. “Leave me here, where the shiny square opens up, sloping down to the steps at the arch and towers of the cathedral: a market full of tents and chicken cages, decorated with stands selling fruit, peppers, suspenders, pans, slippers, lampshades, and poorly cooked meals…).
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Porta Rivera is one of the most ancent gateways to the city of L’Aquila.
It is located along the 14th century walls (damaged by the earthquake in 2009), and it gives access to Borgo Rivera, an ancient section of the city. Entering the town through the gates, one in front of the other, visitors can enjoy the sight of the Fountain of 99 spouts (on the right) and the Church of San Vito (on the left, damaged by the earthquake in April 2009).
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42.350 N - 13.390 E
The area of Borgo Rivera, near the Aterno River, is the seat of the initial location that gave life to the city of L’Aquila, and which this major city of Abruzzo takes its name from. In fact, during the Middle Ages, the area was called “Acculi” or “Acculae” due to the abundance of water springs.
Now, with its historical buildings, Borgo Rivera is a very picturesque section of the city. Bordering the old walls and the Porta Rivera gateway, it is home to the Church of Santa Chiara d’Aquili, the small Church of San Vito Martire, and the Fountain of 99 Spouts, one of L’Aquila’s most symbolic monuments, since it represents the story of how the city was founded.
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42.350 N - 13.389 E
The Church of San Vito di Tornimparte is in Borgo della Rivera, just before the entrance to the town, opposite the splendid Fountain of 99 Spouts.
It was built during the XIII century and offers a beautiful example of a Romanesque portal, engraved on the front with angular pillars and horizontal small arches.On the right, there are some symbols that have been engraved, dating back to the Templar traditions.
The Church was seriously damaged following the earthquake on 6th April 2009.
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42.350 N - 13.390 E
Inside Borgo Rivera, and facing the small Romanesque Church of San Vito di Tornimparte, one can see the Fountain of 99 spouts, one of the greatest symbols of the city, since it recalls the foundation itself of the city by the joining together of the owners of the castles of the surrounding area (traditionally believed to be 99).
The memorial stone on one of the three sides testifies to the construction of the fountain in 1272 by architect Tancredi da Pentima. The fountain is decorated with 99 masks, each different from the other, that spurt water from their spouts into the stone basins.
The fountain, used as a wash house at the beginning, was renovated and modified through the years; the covering in white and pink stone, in particular, and the addition of a metal fencing around the monument are interventions dating back to the years after the earthquake in 1703.
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42.349 N - 13.391 E
The old Clarisse monastery, Santa Chiara, can be found climbing from Borgo Rivera towards the city. Initially established with the name Santa Maria d’Acquili, it was consecrated in 1195 by the Bishop of Forcona on the site of a village that existed here before the medieval city.
There is beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary on a tall column that deserves a visit in the Church. The name Acquili comes from the first settlement of the early Middle Ages called "Acquili", in the area of Borgo Rivera, which lies at the origin of the name of the city of L’Aquila.
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The Piazza Duomo or Market Square does not belong to the district of Santa Giusta or to any other. This large area sloping down towards the Cathedral has never been inhabited and has always been the grounds for fairs and markets. It is, therefore, the place around which the rest of the city was founded and developed – a place for trade and business. In fact, it is referred to as the “forum” in many documents of the 1300s, due to its social and trading function.
In the square, which is still used for the marketplace today, one can visit the Cathedral, dedicated to St. Maximus and St. George, and the Baroque Church of Anime Sante, a church where the paintings of an artist from Abruzzo, Teofilo Patini, are kept. The Cathedral was built over many years following the terrible earthquake of 1703, and the façade was completed only in 1928. Nothing remains of the original structure built in the late 1200s; however, remnants from the 14th century church erected after the earthquake in 1315 can still be observed on the right, from Via Roio. The wall here was completed with decorations of polished stone. Inside, there are a number of masterpieces of various epochs, including a wooden choir loft of the 1700s and the funeral monument of Cardinal Agnifili.
Both the churches were severely damaged in the earthquake of 6th April 2009, which almost collapsed the Cathedral completely, and disfigured the Church of the Suffragio beyond repair by destroying the dome.
