L'Aquila, Italy’s Capital of Culture 2026, had a story to tell at the recent BIT travel fair in Milan.

The city is attracting growing numbers of visitors

The BIT travel fair hosted a round table discussion, “L'Aquila 2026, Year of Culture - One territory, a thousand capitals,” on the Abruzzo Region’s stand. L’Aquila is the capital of Abruzzo and it confirmed its status as one of Italy's most attractive tourist destinations, recording a 22% increase in arrivals and an 83% increase in overnight stays in 2025, figures that underline the region’s ability to attract visitors. Last year's success is part of a broader growth trend that has transformed the city from a stopover to a mature destination, the epicentre of a varied and attractive regional offering. This is highlighted by an analysis of overnight stays during recent summers: while there were 41,320 guests in 2018, this figure rose to 132,794 in 2025.

One territory, a thousand capitals

“One territory, a thousand capitals’ is not just a slogan, but the manifesto of a rediscovered identity,- said Ersilia Lancia, tourism councillor Municipality of L'Aquila. -L'Aquila is now the beating heart that radiates energy throughout the region. Culture has been the real cement of our social reconstruction, and tourist flows tell us that we have become a mature destination that welcomes and retains visitors thanks to targeted investments in infrastructure and accommodation. The city is no longer the symbol of an earthquake, but an international model of rebirth through culture, where local tourism is growing alongside inbound arrivals.”

“L'Aquila 2026 will feature 320 events and 100 different locations in the city and surrounding areas. Our slogan aims to spotlight the fact that L'Aquila is not alone: by involving Rieti and other towns, it will authentically tell the story of this land, strengthening existing links with cultural and educational institutions. In L'Aquila we are all ambassadors of our city: the inhabitants, those who work here, those who were educated here, and those who fell in love with L'Aquila. The impact of L’Aquila 2026 will strengthen and unify the region’s sea-and-mountain offering into a distinctive and cohesive experience. Our extraordinary natural heritage, starting with our ancient forests, which will serve as a natural stage for performances by international artists such as Liu Bolin, is a fundamental asset for attracting visitors”

Sustainability and beauty

“The prestigious title of L'Aquila Capital of Culture 2026 is an opportunity to show the world an Abruzzo that knows how to combine sustainability and beauty; our ultimate goal is to confirm the region's position on the international scene as a destination of excellence for lifestyle and culture, creating a legacy that will reach well beyond 2026. Contemporary art will play an important role today, and in the future, because, as Paride Vitale, author of the book ‘D'Amore e D'Abruzzo’ (Of Love and Abruzzo), explains, 'In Abruzzo, it is not simply a decorative element, but a powerful driving force capable of attracting international tourism.”

Focusing on projects with global reach

“For L'Aquila 2026, we have focused on projects with a global reach: from the major Fabio Mauri exhibition at the Maxxi, to Liu Bolin's ‘Oltre il visibile’ (Beyond the Visible) project which will transform Collemaggio, Rocca Calascio and the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park into global postcards of the region. And with projects such as Arteparco, which integrates site-specific art installations into a natural environment, we show how art can interact with nature, towns and villages, generating real economic benefits for businesses and accommodation facilities.”

As Italy races towards the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, Visa has presented an analysis of the situation.

Just under 100 days to go to the start of the Games

With just under 100 days to go until the start of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, through its new Visa Travel Intention Study by Visa Consulting & Analytics, in collaboration with Ipsos, the research reveals a substantial increase in ticket purchases and flight bookings by international travellers during the period of the Games.

An expected 160% increase in air travellers 

Visa also takes a snapshot of Italians' feelings, expectations and ways of enjoying the Games and the travel intentions of international tourists to Italy during the Olympic period. The areas concerned will see a 160% increase in air travellers compared to the same period in 2025. The strongest year-on-year growth in the number of passengers per country comes from the Netherlands, followed by Canada, Germany, the United States, Finland, France and the United Kingdom.

An “assault” on Italian airports

The result is a significant increase in the number of passengers expected at the airports of the host or neighbouring cities: Milan Linate scores +450%, Milan Malpensa +190%, Verona +120%, Bergamo +80%, Venice +75% and Treviso +40%. "Together with the Fondazione Milano Cortina we have looked at ho bookings are going and how we foresee the distribution of guests across Italy,- says Stefano Stoppani, Visa Italy country manager. -For years Visa Italy has been working to ensure that small and medium-sized businesses in Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige which  ill be involved in the games are ready. For us it is important that the merchants of these territories can benefit from the big event to make themselves known and to welcome visitors and  offer them services and products. They will have to be ready to accept e-money and to work in e-commerce, because once the Olympics are over, the merchants will be in contact with some of these buyers."

Securing seamless airport connections

The economic impact of the Games for SMEs in Northern Italy will be 95%. Italians are enthusiastic about Milan Cortina; 90% expect a positive regional impact and 65% see the event as a catalyst for technological innovation. "We will analyze the data on the influx of visitors collected at six airports to understand how bookings are going, where the visitors are coming from and the growth compared to previous years. The numbers we are seeing are very interesting. Visa has been working for some time with local authorities and public administrations to make sure that the airport connections to the Games destinations are ready to welcome visitors."

Varese presents an exhibition honoring the Castiglioni brothers, charting the history of grand expeditions from the 1800s to today.

A unique testimony of human history on film

Marco Castiglioni and Sara Conte

Angelo Castiglioni and his brother Alfredo travelled across Africa from 1957 to 2022, using cinematographic film to tell the story of a world that was undergoing dramatic transformation.  In 60 years of expeditions they collected a unique testimony of human history, following in the footsteps of the great explorers of the past and bringing to light buried civilizations.  Their filming also made the history of the Italian "Mondo Cinema" genre, witnessing the rituals and daily life of peoples whose traditions have been erased by the passing of time. This is the theme of the exhibition, "Encounters of Distant Worlds. From the exploratory journeys of the late 1800s to the research of Angelo and Alfredo Castiglioni", which will run until 1 June 2025 in the Civic Archaeological Museums of Villa Mirabello in Varese, and will also feature various events, meetings and screenings. 

“A desire to discover distant worlds”

"My father and my uncle set on their journey animated by great curiosity and the desire to meet different people and discover distant worlds, documenting a humanity that was disappearing - says Marco Castiglioni, son of Angelo, a passionate historian and currently the director of the Castiglioni Museum in Varese".  The exhibition is divided into several rooms, the first showing the history of the great Italian explorers of the 1800s. “At that time, the interest for geographical research was growing rapidly. – says Castiglioni - My father and my uncle started by reading the memories of the brave travellers whose tracks they eventually followed.”  The same antique texts used by the two brothers, are on display in some of the showcases.  Visitors also enter a fascinating "wunderkammer", one of those collector's rooms of 18th-century tradition, with strange and exotic objects, before tracing the footsteps of the Castiglioni brothers, with the visual support of seven videos. 

The oldest geographical map of humanity

Other rooms pay tribute to the archaeological discoveries of “Berenice Pancrisia”, the City of Gold of the pharaohs, and the impressive “Adulis”, the vast archaeological site overlooking the shores of the Red Sea, in Eritrea and, representing a symbolic closure of a circle of time, the anastatic copy of the Papyrus of the Mines of Seti I (preserved at the Egyptian Museum of Turin), considered the oldest geological map of humanity. The exhibition is curated by Marco Castiglioni with Sara Conte, Serena Massa, Giovanna Salvioni, under the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of the State of Eritrea, the Lombardy Region and the Province of Varese.