L'Aquila's Spanish Fort (Italy)

The Spanish Fort in L'Aquila is one of the most impressive Renaissance fortifications in central and southern Italy. It is also commonly called the Castle by the locals. It was badly damaged in the 2009 earthquake.

In the 15th century L'Aquila grew to become the second most powerful city in the Kingdom of Naples. There were half a million sheep, and wool and saffron were sold all over Europe; unfortunately all this was lost when the Aquilani sided with the French in the succession dispute between the French and the Spanish. In 1504 the city was occupied by the Spanish conquistadors. The French reconquered the city in 1527 with the support of the citizens and the surrounding population. But only a year later, the viceroy Filiberto d'Orange, who ruled on behalf of Charles V of Spain, definitively defeated the Aquitan rebels. To secure his power of him, he ordered the construction of a stronghold on the highest hill north of the city. This is exactly the place where King Ladislao had a garrison built in 1401 to control the rebels and rebels from Aquila (ad reprimendam aquilanorum audaciam).

The project was entrusted to the famous Spanish architect Don Pirro Aloisio Escriva, a great connoisseur of firearms who had already started the construction of Castel Sant'Elmo (Naples) in Naples. The discovery of gunpowder forced the development of new defense methods. Escribá managed the project for two years before handing over the job to Gian Girolamo Escribà. For the next 30 years, the enormous taxes levied on citizens for the construction of the fort impoverished the city. In 1567 he begged the Spaniards to stop further construction; the royal court agreed to this request and the works were suspended. For this reason, parts of the fort were never completed. The construction of the fortress cost an enormous sum for the time of construction. Therefore the Aquila was forced to sell the casket containing the body of San Bernardino da Siena, covered with a lot of silver.

The fortress, which was not built to defend the city but only for control of the city (the guns are aimed at the city) and served as a completely autonomous structure, was never besieged. Its always ready cannons remained inactive for centuries: the only victim was the city itself, whose decline began with the beginning of construction and continued under Spanish rule.

In 1798 the citizens attacked the fortress, which was then occupied by the French who invaded Italy. This attack was unsuccessful. Subsequently, the building served as a prison. After 1860 it became a military headquarters. During the Second World War, the fortress was occupied and damaged by the Germans. Between 1949 and 1951 the fortress was restored and since then it has been the seat of the National Museum of Abruzzo (Museo Nazionale d'Abruzzo).

During the 2009 earthquake, the upper deck and the bridge were particularly damaged. The restoration work began in the summer of 2012. The museum is therefore still closed five years after the earthquake.

In the park adjacent to the Spanish Fort, a temporary auditorium was built in 2012 at the expense of the Province of Trento, based on a project by Renzo Piano, to replace the castle's concert hall.