MAXXI L'Aquila

MAXXI L'Aquila brings contemporary art to Palazzo Ardinghelli, an eighteenth-century Baroque palace in the historic centre of L'Aquila.

Why it matters

The museum pairs a national institution devoted to art and architecture of the twenty-first century with a historic palace shaped by the city's reconstruction after the 1703 earthquake. Its presence also forms part of L'Aquila's broader cultural recovery following the 2009 earthquake.

What to notice

Palazzo Ardinghelli combines a formal courtyard with a grand staircase decorated by frescoes attributed to the Venetian painter Vincenzo Damini. Contemporary installations and exhibitions occupy rooms whose Baroque architectural details remain part of the experience of the building.

Context and history

The Ardinghelli family commissioned the palace, designed by Francesco Fontana and built between 1732 and 1743. After the 2009 earthquake left it severely damaged, the building underwent structural restoration and conservation. It later reopened as the L'Aquila home of the MAXXI museum.