HOW TO REACH

🚌 By coach / bus — the best option from Rome

Long-distance coaches depart from Roma Tiburtina bus station (Autostazione TIBUS, next to the railway station) and arrive in L’Aquila at the Collemaggio Bus Terminal and/or the Amiternum stop (SS 80, near the hotel district).

Operators: TUA (formerly ARPA), Gaspari Bus, FlixBus, Itabus, Roma Linee. Services run from early morning to late evening (Gaspari’s last departure from Tiburtina is at 22:30); booking online is recommended in peak periods.

From the Collemaggio Bus Terminal the venue is about a 10-minute walk along Viale Nizza towards the historic centre. From the Amiternum stop you can take a taxi or local bus to the centre (≈ 10 min).

🚗 By car

From the A24 (Rome–L’Aquila–Teramo motorway), take the L’Aquila Est exit and follow signs to Centro Storico / Viale Nizza. Pay-and-display parking (blue lines) and nearby car parks are available in the area surrounding the venue. The historic centre is largely a limited-traffic zone (ZTL), so please park outside it.

✈️ By plane

Three airports serve L’Aquila. For international travellers, Rome Fiumicino is the most practical choice thanks to direct coaches.

Rome Fiumicino (FCO) — recommended

Direct coaches operated by Gaspari Bus, FlixBus and Roma Linee depart from the bus station at Terminal 3 Arrivals and go straight to L’Aquila (Amiternum stop). No need to travel into Rome first. The first departure is around 07:15; the last departure is at 21:30 (Gaspari Bus), making it possible to arrive even on late-evening flights. Book in advance to guarantee a seat.

Rome Ciampino (CIA)

Gaspari Bus operates direct coaches from Ciampino to L’Aquila (departing from the car park outside the Departures terminal). The last departure is at 22:00, which is ideal for late arrivals. As an alternative, you can take a bus or train to Roma Tiburtina (≈ 40 min) and catch any of the other operators from there.

Pescara – Abruzzo Airport (PSR)

The closest airport, served mainly by low-cost and seasonal flights. There is no direct coach to L’Aquila, but the new TUA4Fly shuttle service (launched May 2026, € 3) connects the airport to Pescara Centrale station in sync with every landing. From there, TUA coaches to L’Aquila depart approximately every hour (≈ 1 h 45 min, check tuabruzzo.it). Total travel time: around 2 h 30 – 3 h.

🚆 By train + coach (via Pescara or Giulianova)

If you are travelling by train from northern or southern Italy (Milan, Bologna, Ancona, Bari…), the Adriatic railway is the natural route. Take a Freccia, Intercity or regional train to one of the following stations, then continue by coach to L’Aquila:

Pescara Centrale

TUA runs coaches from Pescara Terminal Bus (Piazza della Repubblica, next to the railway station) to L’Aquila via the A25 motorway, from around 05:55 to 19:45, every day including weekends. This is the most frequent connection from the Adriatic side.

Giulianova

Gaspari Bus stops at Giulianova and Teramo on the route to L’Aquila (and on to Rome / airports). This is a convenient option if you arrive on the Adriatic line north of Pescara. Check gasparionline.it for timetables.

🚆 By train from Rome (via Terni) — not recommended

There is no direct train from Rome to L’Aquila. The railway connection runs via Terni on a regional, non-electrified line (Roma Tiburtina → Terni → Rieti → L’Aquila). Total travel time is typically 3 h 45 to 4 h 30, with at least one change, compared to about 1 h 20 by coach. We therefore strongly recommend the coach for this journey.

If you still prefer the train, Trenitalia offers a combined train + bus intermodal service: search for “L’Aquila” as your destination on trenitalia.com and the system will show available connections, including last-mile bus links to the city centre.