L'Aquila - Basilica of S. M. di Collemaggio

2018

The basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio is a religious building in L'Aquila, located just outside the city walls, on the hill of the same name. Founded in 1288 at the behest of Pietro da Morrone - crowned pope here with the name of Celestino V on 29 August 1294 - it is considered the highest expression of Abruzzo architecture, as well as the symbol of the city and was declared a national monument in 1902. Since 1327 houses the remains of the pontiff, currently preserved inside the mausoleum of Celestino V, built in 1517 by Girolamo da Vicenza, master of Andrea Palladio. It is the seat of an annual jubilee, the first in history, established with the Bull of Forgiveness of 29 September 1294 and known as Perdonanza Celestiniana; therefore, it is characterized by the presence of a Holy Door on the side facade. The church, which boasts the title of minor basilica together with the fellow citizens San Bernardino and San Giuseppe Artigiano, has been remodeled several times over the centuries mainly due to the damage caused by frequent earthquakes and presents a mixture of different architectural styles. Following the 2009 earthquake, it was subjected to consolidation and restoration works which ended in 2017.

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L'Aquila (IPA: / ˈlakwila /, pronunciation, formerly Aquila until 1863 and Aquila degli Abruzzi until 1939) is an Italian town of 69 284 inhabitants, capital of the province of the same name and of the Abruzzo region. The city is located in the Abruzzo hinterland on the slope of a hill to the left of the Aterno river, in a predominant position with respect to the Gran Sasso massif, the homonymous basin and the Aterno valley, on an area of 467 km² which make it the ninth largest municipality in Italy. Divided into 59 districts and hamlets, part of its territory is included in the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga national park and reaches over 2,000 meters above sea level.

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Scanno (Scannë in Abruzzo) is an Italian town of 1 883 inhabitants located in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo. The municipal territory, surrounded by the Marsicani Mountains, is partly included within the borders of the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise and is in turn part of the Peligna mountain community. It is an important winter and summer resort and is part of the club The most beautiful villages in Italy. In the surroundings there are the homonymous lake, which however belongs for three quarters to the municipality of Villalago, the ski resorts of Passo Godi and Monte Rotondo, the plateaus of Monte Greco and Lake Pantaniello, as well as the natural reserve of the Sagittario Gorges. Scanno is also known as the City of Photographers; a place much appreciated by many Italian and foreign authors. Throughout the twentieth century, its unmistakable views and its people were the subjects of many famous shots taken by Hilde Lotz-Bauer, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Mario Giacomelli, Renzo Tortelli, Gianni Berengo Gardin, Ferdinando Scianna, Mario Cresci and many others . In 1964 it was a photograph taken in Scanno by Mario Giacomelli that became part of the prestigious collection of photographic works of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. This image is known as The Scanno Boy, or Scanno Boy.

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