//
Photo: Claudio Parente, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
On the western edges of the Fucino plain, on the slopes of Mount Salviano, are the imposing Cunicoli di Claudio. They extend in an underground path beyond Mount Salviano for about 5,600 m, presenting a section with a diameter varying from 5 to 10 m². The work, dating back to the first century AD, between 41 and 52, is due to the Roman emperor Claudius who was the first to attempt to drain Lake Fucino. Its construction saw the exploitation of 25,000 men, including workers and slaves who also manually dug tunnels and service wells for the emissary for over a decade. The Claudian work includes 32 vertical wells and 6 inclined tunnels that served as support for the main emissary that allowed the flow of the lake waters beyond the belly of Mount Salviano along the Liri river on the opposite side in the municipality of Capistrello . In 1977 the archaeological park was inaugurated with the aim of preserving and enhancing the historical-architectural heritage. Not far away in Borgo Incile is the head of the Claudio-Torlonian emissary on which stands the imposing statue of Maria Immacolata Concezione, the work of the architect Carlo Nicola Carnevali.
The Tunnels of Claudius consist principally of a 6 km-long tunnel together with several monumental service tunnels which Roman Emperor Claudius had built by 52 AD to partially drain the Fucine Lake in Abruzzo, protecting riparian villages from floods and creating agricultural land. It was a massive engineering project involving 30,000 workmen and slaves who completed it in just 11 years, and considered among the grandest in antiquity. It was the longest tunnel ever built until the inauguration of the Fréjus Rail Tunnel in 1871.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Museo dell'intrattenimento elettronico
The museum, dedicated to electronics and information technology, permanently houses computers, consoles, pinball machines, arcade cabinets and video games made between the 1970s and the 2000s on a covered surface of approximately 1,500 m². Inaugurated in 2021, it features two large game rooms, two test rooms for playful interaction and exhibition spaces dedicated to retrogaming and retrocomputing. The game rooms do not feature gambling systems and smoking and drinking alcohol are prohibited. The museum spaces highlight the ingenious works of electronic, digital and musical entertainment.
The manor was built in 1490 by Gentile Virginio Orsini on the remains of the pre-existing 12th century tower of the feudal lord Gentile di Palearia. Thanks to Marcantonio Colonna, who chose Avezzano among his residences, in the 16th century the castle was adapted to a fortified noble palace surrounded by a garden. Severely damaged by the 1915 earthquake and the bombings of 1944, it was restored in the 1990s based on a project by the architect Alessandro Del Bufalo after a long planning and bureaucratic process. On the first floor, the stage and stalls for theatrical performances and conferences were built, while some areas of the upper floor hosted the modern art gallery for several years. You can admire the models reproducing some historical areas of the city before the 1915 earthquake such as Piazza Castello and Palazzo Torlonia.
Exhibition space for emerging artists, contemporary art installations.
Bottega d'arte Archè
Since 1998, the workshop has been hosting collective exhibitions of contemporary art.
Galleria Comunale di Arte Moderna
Historical space of figurative art.
Laboratorio Artigiano Ennio Gentile
Exhibition of antique furniture, artistic decorations, antiques.