//
The Torlonia Pavilion, improperly called the "Chalet" or "Hunting Lodge", is a wooden structure with an octagonal plan and sloping roofs that cover very well-preserved remains, whose portico is embellished with intertwining branches and framed by flints. The structure was built in larch and chestnut wood by the Roman carpenters of the Frosini and Boccaccini firm in 1891. The work that was purchased by Alessandro Torlonia to embellish his villa was used to display the archaeological finds that emerged during the draining of the Fucino and the weapons of the Torlonia family that determined the meaning of "Hunting Lodge". Not compromised by the 1915 earthquake, it underwent an important first restoration in 1980, during which the artist from Marsica Pasquale Di Fabio created the paintings of the vault. The pavilion houses the museum of peasant and pastoral civilization: the tools of toil and agricultural industriousness have thus found hospitality in an environment that in history was the exclusive prerogative of the nobility. On the walls you can see period photographs of Lake Fucino and the riparian villages that lived off the abundant fish of the waters. Finally, there are preserved 19th-century illustrations by the English traveller Edward Lear with ink depictions of the landscapes of the Marsica.
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.