ItARTS – Back to L'Aquila
The international arts festival returns home to the Italian Capital of Culture
About ItARTS L'Aquila
The arts return home to L'Aquila
After traveling across three continents, the international festival ItARTS – Back to L'Aquila arrives in the Abruzzo capital as the final stop of its itinerant journey. Born from the ItARTS – Italy for Arts: Resources, Time and Space project, funded by the PNRR – NextGenerationEU, the festival is promoted by the "Alfredo Casella" Conservatory of Music in L'Aquila and stands as one of the flagship events of the L'Aquila Italian Capital of Culture 2026 program.
A global laboratory of creativity
For two months, the city becomes an international laboratory blending music, visual arts, and new technologies. The program features symphonic and chamber concerts, musical theater, multimedia performances, exhibitions, and immersive virtual reality installations, all resulting from research conducted in the project's Learning Living Labs. The festival bridges the creativity of higher artistic and musical education (AFAM) with the public, transforming L'Aquila into a meeting point between tradition and innovation.
Venues in the heart of the city
Events take place in landmarks of L'Aquila's rebirth: the Auditorium del Parco designed by Renzo Piano, the "Shigeru Ban" Auditorium of the Conservatory, the Academy of Fine Arts Theater, Palazzo Benedetti, and the spaces of Palazzo Omni. The project is realized in collaboration with the Academy of Fine Arts of L'Aquila, the University of L'Aquila, the Polytechnic University of Turin, and the Saint Louis College of Music in Rome.
A project that traveled the world
Before reaching L'Aquila, the festival took its three original multimedia works on an international tour: to Uzbekistan (Tashkent and Nukus), China (Xi'an, Beijing, and Linyi), and France (Annecy). Returning to the Abruzzo capital—the city that birthed the project—symbolically closes this path, highlighting culture as a driving force for reconstruction and regional revitalization in the heart of the Province of L'Aquila and Abruzzo.
ItARTS L'Aquila — edition 2026
The L'Aquila leg of ItARTS – Back to L'Aquila enlivened the Abruzzo capital from February 8 to April 10, 2026, concluding the project's itinerant journey after stops in Uzbekistan, China, and France. The program blended music, visual arts, and new technologies in the spaces of the Auditorium del Parco, the "Shigeru Ban" Auditorium, the Academy of Fine Arts Theater, Palazzo Benedetti, and Palazzo Omni. The closing concert on April 10 celebrated the creativity of higher artistic and musical education.
Programme ItARTS L'Aquila 2026
February 8 — Inauguration
- 16:00 — Palazzo Benedetti (Via Sassa 15): opening of the exhibition "La più bella primavera" (open until February 28, 16:00-19:00) and performance "Area di azione leggera" by the Academy of Fine Arts of L'Aquila.
- 18:30 — "Shigeru Ban" Auditorium of the Conservatory: multimedia show "Lunaria", in collaboration with the Saint Louis College of Music in Rome.
February 12
- 18:30 — Academy of Fine Arts Theater: "Donne all'Opera: croce e delizia", opera show directed by Stefano Vizioli.
February 18-19
- Auditorium del Parco (Renzo Piano): "Shared", multimodal composition with virtual reality immersion, by composer Michelangelo Lupone.
February 19-22
- Palazzo Omni: "Shared, The Installation", immersive installation.
February 21
- 18:30 — Academy of Fine Arts Theater: "Dei Maestri Dipintori", directed by Francesco Saponaro.
February 23
- Wind Orchestra of the "Casella" Conservatory, with a program ranging from Respighi to Rota and Gabrieli.
April 10 — Final Concert
- 18:30 — Auditorium del Parco: final concert with the Conservatory's Academic Orchestra, conducted by Luciano Siani and featuring pianist Francesco Dell'Oso.
Highlights ItARTS L'Aquila 2026
Prices ItARTS L'Aquila 2026
Practical information — ItARTS L'Aquila
Where
Events are held at various locations in L'Aquila (AQ): Auditorium del Parco (Viale Benedetto Croce), the Conservatory's "Shigeru Ban" Auditorium (Via Francesco Savini), the Academy of Fine Arts Theater, Palazzo Benedetti (Via Sassa 15), and Palazzo Omni.
How to get there
L'Aquila is accessible by car via the A24 motorway (exit L'Aquila Ovest or Est). The historic center and festival venues are easily reachable on foot. Regional bus lines connect the city with Rome, Pescara, and Teramo.
Information
The full program and updates are available on the official website of the project and the "Alfredo Casella" Conservatory.
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Where does it take place — ItARTS L'Aquila
Auditorium del Parco (Renzo Piano)
Auditorium del Parco, Viale Benedetto Croce, 67100 L'Aquila