Discover Aielli: Art, Churches and a Gorge Landscape

In Aielli, public art, religious and medieval history, and a mountain and gorge landscape are among the town’s defining features. When planning your visit, it is worth keeping the relevant visiting conditions in mind: seasonal access rules apply to the Gole di Aielli-Celano; visits to the Torre delle Stelle can be booked via the events calendar and a WhatsApp enquiry. This makes it possible to include the town’s different highlights in your travel plans.

Borgo Universo: Street Art and Astronomy

Borgo Universo began in 2017 as a festival of street art and astronomy. Today, it is an open-air museum spread across Aielli’s streets, squares and public spaces, with more than 50 works. These include murals, sculptures and installations. Its diversity therefore extends beyond murals to include sculptural and installation works.

The Tour dei Murales is a guided tour of the open-air museum. Local guides from the Cooperativa di Comunità La Maesa accompany the tour. This offers a different perspective on Borgo Universo from the festival’s origins: while it began with street art and astronomy, the tour is designed as a guided visit to the murals.

Churches and Medieval History

The Chiesa della Santissima Trinità is Aielli’s parish church and is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It was built between 1477 and 1479 at the behest of Count Antonio Piccolomini di Celano. The Chiesa di San Rocco was built in 1546 as a funerary church. It is dedicated to Saint Roch, venerated as a protector against the plague, and preserves a 16th-century fresco of the Madonna del Buon Consiglio.

Porta Montanara belongs to a different historical context: the gate was part of the walled complex that connected Aielli’s medieval Burgo with the Castello on the summit. Together, these buildings illustrate different aspects of the town’s history—from the churches’ religious dedications and functions to the medieval connection between the Burgo and the castle. A festival also has a special date: Madonna della Vittoria is now held on the first Sunday in July, as it has been for about 20 years, rather than on 10 May. If you would like to plan your trip around this occasion, check the dates for your intended stay.

Gole di Aielli-Celano and the Mountain Landscape

The entrance to the Gole di Aielli-Celano on the Aielli side leads into a 4.5-kilometre stretch of gorge that can be visited from June to October. Access is subject to a separate rule: free online reservations are required from 24 May to 31 October. The reservation is for travel either from La Foce to Val d'Arano or in the opposite direction, from Val d'Arano to La Foce. A maximum of 80 people per day are allowed in each direction.

Both time periods are important for planning: the stated visiting season runs from June to October, while the reservation requirement applies from 24 May to 31 October. Before your visit, check the online reservation for your chosen direction and take the daily limit into account. The gorge was formed by thousands of years of erosion by the La Foce stream; its walls reach several hundred metres in height. Part of Aielli’s mountain area also lies within the Parco Naturale Regionale Sirente-Velino. This places a specifically described gorge route alongside the broader natural setting of the mountain landscape.

Another Look at the Starry Sky

At the Torre delle Stelle, a trail set in nature represents the solar system at a scale of one to one billion. It combines an exploration of astronomy with a walk through nature, without specifying a walking time or route length. Visits can be booked by consulting the events calendar and then sending an enquiry via WhatsApp. This is the designated booking method for this visit.

Discover more destinations: Rocca Di Mezzo, Monticchio, Celano, Cagnano Amiterno, Castelvecchio Subequo, Rocca Pia, Pacentro, Navelli.

For the broader travel overview: L-Aquila.