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The city rises 714 m. above sea level in a wide valley crossed by the Aterno river, in view of the Gran Sasso. According to tradition, the town was founded in 1254 by Carlo V, on the basis of an legal act wrote out by Federico II (who died in 1250) to unite the inhabitants of the 99 castles of the valley; each castle is represented in the city by a palace, a church, a square and a fountain. In 1257 L'Aquila is officially recognized as a commune by pope Alessandro IV. In 1259 the city is destroyed by the army of Manfredi but is rebuilt by Carlo d'Angi� to repay the population for the military support against Corradino di Svevia, defeated in the battle of Tagliacozzo in 1268. The crowning of Celestino V in 1294 in the cathedral of S. Maria di Collemaggio demonstrates how fast the city grew in power in the years following his reconstruction. Though always linked to the fortunes of the Kingdom of Naples, it enjoyed great autonomy and grew in size, reaching its peak in the first half of the fifteenth century. Subsequently, earthquakes, plagues and internal struggles caused its decline. |
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