The 1915 earthquake marked a profound rupture in the urban history of Avezzano, giving rise to a new forma urbis shaped by the Reconstruction Plan prepared by Sebastiano Bultrini in 1916. Conceived as a “garden city”, yet far removed from its Anglo-Saxon counterparts, the new settlement occupied the area between the historic centre and the railway station. It was organised according to a Hippodamian grid, structured by straight axes, squares and vistas rooted in nineteenth-century urban design. In the process, the ancient town was marginalised and ultimately absorbed, with only the Orsini-Colonna Castle and Piazza Torlonia surviving as boundary and hinge elements. The result was an orderly earthquake-resistant city which, however, has since been profoundly altered.
Avezzano. Una nuova forma urbis nella quale «l’antico si rischiara»
Patrizia Montuori
2026-01-01
Abstract
The 1915 earthquake marked a profound rupture in the urban history of Avezzano, giving rise to a new forma urbis shaped by the Reconstruction Plan prepared by Sebastiano Bultrini in 1916. Conceived as a “garden city”, yet far removed from its Anglo-Saxon counterparts, the new settlement occupied the area between the historic centre and the railway station. It was organised according to a Hippodamian grid, structured by straight axes, squares and vistas rooted in nineteenth-century urban design. In the process, the ancient town was marginalised and ultimately absorbed, with only the Orsini-Colonna Castle and Piazza Torlonia surviving as boundary and hinge elements. The result was an orderly earthquake-resistant city which, however, has since been profoundly altered.Pubblicazioni consigliate
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