5 Notable Architectures to Explore in Abruzzo

The Basilica of San Bernardino is a religious building of the Aquila, located in the quarter of Santa Maria. It was built, with the adjacent convent, between 1454 and 1472 in honor of St. Bernardino of Siena, whose remains are kept inside the mausoleum of the Saint built by Silvestro dell'Aquila. The facade, erected in the following century by Cola dell'Amatrice with Michelangelo's influences, is considered the highest expression of Renaissance architecture in Abruzzo.

The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is an ancient Catholic basilica that is considered to be the largest of the churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Rome. It is one of the city’s four major basilicas. Built on a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Cybele. The basilica displays varied architectural styles, from early Christian to Baroque. The entire building was restored and renovated during the eighteenth century.

Forte Spagnolo is a fortress of the Aquila, built during a grandiose project of military strengthening of the territory that took place during the Spanish domination in southern Italy in the first half of the sixteenth century: never used for purposes war, it was used in the seventeenth century as the residence of the Spanish governor and later as accommodation for French soldiers in the nineteenth century and German soldiers during the last world war, while in 1902 it was declared a national mo

Oratory of San Pellegrino is located in Bominaco, a hamlet not far from Caporciano, in the province of L’Aquila. It was probably commissioned by Abbott Teodino in 1263 – as attested by the inscription on the back wall of the structure – and was dedicated to martyr Saint Peregrine. This Romanesque-style building actually has inner walls covered in wonderful frescoes, considered amongst the most representative of Medieval Gothic style, at par with the ones in the nearby church of Santa Maria ad C

The sanctuary is located just outside the walls of the village, and it is among the best examples of Renaissance architecture in Umbria. The building was erected in 1494, with the support of the Perugia municipality, as a place of protection against the plague; for this reason, it was dedicated to Our Lady of Miracles, by the will of Pope Alexander VI. The interior of the sanctuary has a single nave with 8 altars, there are also some stuccoes by Nicolò Curti made in 1762.