Consiglio regionale dell'Abruzzo - Palazzo dell'Emiciclo

A monumental complex in the heart of L'Aquila and home to the Regional Council of Abruzzo, the Palazzo dell'Emiciclo is one of the most recognizable symbols of the city. Built in 1888 to a design by architect Carlo Waldis, it stands on the foundations of a seventeenth-century church flanked by a monastery. It takes its name from the neoclassical exedra that characterizes its entrance, featuring a richly decorated semicircular Ionic portico crowned by a Corinthian-style terrace, adorned with eagles and bas-reliefs. Severely damaged by the 2009 earthquake, it was returned to the city in 2018 after an extensive restoration: today it rests on a cutting-edge seismic isolation system in Europe, composed of 61 FAI elastomeric isolators. In addition to housing the Regional Council, the palace has become a place of international research and training, with a new library created from the ancient underground vaults of the structure. A monument that spans four centuries of history and embodies the resilience of Abruzzo.