Overview
Aielli is a small town in the Marsica region, which from its 1020 metres above sea level overlooks the Fucino plain, that enormous vegetable garden that until a century and a half ago was a lake, then drained and reclaimed by Alessandro di Torlonia in the second half of the 19th century and transformed into fertile countryside from which the Fucino PGI carrots and potatoes are obtained. Aielli, like many towns in this area of Abruzzo, was hit hard by the earthquake in 1915. Recovery was slow; the village suffered depopulation, and for a long time, the atmosphere that enveloped it was that of a ghost town, with the streets left empty and the walls of the buildings peeling.
Until 2017, when thanks to the common will of local administrations, associations and inhabitants, the Borgo Universo urban regeneration project was born, named for the link that Aielli has with astronomy, due to Filippo Angelitti, an illustrious astronomer born here in 1856, and the Torre delle Stelle, a medieval tower that was converted into an astronomical observatory in 2002. Borgo Universo, through street art signed by internationally known names, has coloured and enlivened Aielli. The urban redevelopment then spawned a festival of street art, music, performances and astronomy that every summer offers a dense line-up of events.
Find out more:
Parco Naturale Regionale Sirente Velino (parcosirentevelino.it)
