L'Aquila is a city and comune in central Italy. It is the capital city of the Province of L'Aquila and the Abruzzo region in Italy. As of 2024, it has a population of 69,902. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valley of the Aterno river, it is surrounded by the Apennine Mountains, with the Gran Sasso d'Italia to the north-east.