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= L'Aquila = L'Aquila (, ; meaning "The Eagle"), known as Aquila till 1863 and Aquila degli Abruzzi till 1939, is a city and comune in central Italy, located in its valley, alongside the Aterno river. As of 2013, it has a population of 70,967 inhabitants. It is the capital city of both the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. It is surrounded by the Apennine Mountains, with the Gran Sasso to the north-east.

The city was founded in 1254 from 99 villages (castelli) which federated themselves in order to build a big city and to oppose to the feudal power. Aquila was destroyed by Manfredi and the was founded again thanks to Charles I of Anjou as an autonomous city. Amiternum and Forcona were the two settelments which existed near the city, but when it was established, they declined and depopulated.

It was part of the Kingdom of Naples and capital city of Abruzzo Ulteriore and then Abruzzo Ulteriore Secondo. In the 15th century L'Aquila had a strong economy, which let the city become the second most important one of the kingdom, following Naples. Under the Habsburg monarchy between 16th and 17th century, city's economy started declining and it was suddenly damaged when the 1703 earthquake occured. A new development was achieved in 18th century.

In spite of the severe earthquakes in 1315, 1461, 1703 and 2009, L'Aquila still has a big historical heritage which shows a medieval layer evidenced by the walls, one of Renaissance, represented in several palaces and churches, and a baroque-and-neoclassical one, caused by the rebuilding which followed the 1703 earthquake.

L'Aquila is seat of a yearly jubilee, Perdonanza Celestiniana, established by pope Celestine V in 1294 thanks to the papal bull Inter sactorum solemnia. It was recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2019.