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The collegiate church of San Bartolomeo was the main religious building in Avezzano. The church was completely destroyed in the earthquake of 13 January 1915. The foundations of the building were brought to light in the excavation area. Over the years, the collective tombs, the priests' tomb, the ossuary and the remains of the church dating back to between the 16th and 18th centuries and some areas of the pre-existing churches built in the 9th-10th centuries and in the 12th century have emerged. By order of Marcantonio Colonna, a cardinal in the 18th century, the church became one of the spiritual homes of the Trinitarian nuns. The founder of the religious institute, Mother Maria Teresa Cucchiari, worked here from 1762. The nun was buried in a tomb of the religious building on June 10, 1801. The excavation campaign, which began in 2004, allowed the rediscovery of various elements relating to the imperial, medieval and Renaissance phases of the former collegiate church. In 2017, the remains of seven tombs from the Aragonese era were brought to light. The area undergoing further excavation and investigation activities represents the original urban centr3 of Avezzano before the devastation of the earthquake. In 1965, the civil engineering department created the commemorative monument by rebuilding a small part of the bell tower.
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.
Monumenti funerari di Valle Solegara
South of the Pettorino hill of Alba Fucens, between the hamlet of Antrosano and the northern area of the city, there are the funerary monuments of Valle Solegara. The mausoleums located on the side of the original route of Via Valeria date back to the imperial era. In the same area, traces of tombs have emerged that most likely date back to between the 7th and 5th centuries BC, therefore prior to the construction of the Roman colony of Alba. Not far away, between the hamlets of Antrosano and Cappelle dei Marsi, there is the archaeological site of Cretaro-Brecciara, whose necropolis was brought to light during the construction work of the Avezzano intermodal hub. The tombs date back to between the 8th and 7th centuries BC, while other finds such as armor discs, ornamental female discs and pendants can be traced back to the Republican era.
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.