At a ceremony held in Rome at the Ministry of Culture’s Sala Spadolini, Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano announced that L’Aquila will be Italian Capital of Culture for 2026. The decision was taken by a jury chaired by Davide Maria Desario and comprising distinguished members such as Virginia Lozito, Luisa Piacentini, Andrea Prencipe, Andrea Rebaglio, Daniela Tisi and Isabella Valente, as well as representatives of the ten finalist cities: in addition to L’Aquila, there were Agnone (Isernia), Alba (Cuneo), Gaeta (Latina), Latina, Lucera (Foggia), Maratea (Potenza), Rimini, Treviso, e l’Unione dei Comuni Valdichiana Senese (Siena).
In Minister Sangiuliano’s own words: “L’Aquila possesses great wealth in terms of history and identity, and certainly deserves to be the capital of culture.”
L’Aquila Mayor Pierluigi Biondi also welcomed the news on his Facebook profile by saying he was “proud and moved, as it is an acknowledgement, and not a ‘compensation,’ in which we have all strongly believed ever since the first attempt.” “I share this success with each and every one of L’Aquila’s citizens, with every citizen of the Apennine inland areas, and with all those who have lent their support to our struggle ever since it began: Region president Marco Marsilio, the executive council, the city council, all the extraordinary cultural organizations of the area, the institutions, the mayor of the City of Rieti, Daniele Sinibaldi and the special offices in charge of the reconstruction.”