Art, culture, the economy, and the community come together in L’Aquila for two days of collaborative work. On May 29 and 30, 2026, as part of the program for L’Aquila, Italian Capital of Culture, the Pistoletto Cittadellarte Foundation will bring the “Opera Demopratica” to the city: a forum on the cultural and creative industries, a parade through the streets of the historic center, and a roundtable discussion featuring nationally renowned speakers.
On Friday, May 29, and Saturday, May 30, 2026, Palazzo Spaventa in L’Aquila will hostthe Opera Demopratica L’Aquila, curated by the Pistoletto Cittadellarte Foundation: two days of participatory forums, performances, roundtable discussions, and public events open to the general public, which form part of the programfor L’Aquila, Italian Capital of Culture 2026, as a strategic initiative aimed at the social, urban, and economic transformation of the region.
What Is the Opera Demopratica?
Opera Demopratica is the project through which the Pistoletto Cittadellarte Foundation —an institution based in Biella and founded by Michelangelo Pistoletto, one of the most influential Italian artists of the 20th century and the father of Arte Povera—puts the concept of Demopraxia into practice: the transition from democracy as a statement of principles to the responsible and shared practice of transforming the common good.
In the words of Michelangelo Pistoletto: “Demopraxia means moving from a democracy based on power to shared, responsible action. It is not enough to discuss change: we must implement it together, connecting art, politics, the economy, culture, and society to tangibly build the common good.”
In L’Aquila, this project takes on particular significance: a city that has chosen culture as a tool for reconstruction and that, through its designation as the 2026 Italian Capital of Culture, reaffirms this choice before the entire nation.
The program: two days of open workshops for the city
Friday, May 29
9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Forum on the Cultural and Creative Industries Ecosystem Palazzo Spaventa, Sala degli Affreschi
At the heart of the entire two-day event is the Forum on the Ecosystem of Cultural and Creative Industries, conceived as a civic workshop on governance and a permanent space for dialogue, co-design, and collective action. It is not merely a conference, but an operational framework in which ideas become tools for transformation and relationships translate into processes of change.
The Forum will feature thematic roundtables in the Sala degli Affreschi at Palazzo Spaventa, covering the following topics:
- From Education to Career — Environments for Lifelong Learning
- Participation! — From Practices to Policies
- Cultural Space — The Arts in the Neighborhoods
- Soundscapes and Creative Industries — The Economics of Music
- Culture and Well-Being — Culture as a Form of Personal and Public Medicine
- Creative Cultural Enterprises — Between Tradition and Innovation
The thematic roundtables will feature organizations invited by the Forum that represent the cultural and creative enterprises of the L’Aquila area; the public is welcome to attend as observers.
Two performance pieces are also scheduled throughout the day:
- Theory of Harmony — by Francesco Leineri, a composer and musician who explores intermediality, in collaboration with Mariangela De Vita
- Inhabiting Space — a performative piece exploring movement and relationships, curated by Silvia Di Gregorio, artist, actress, and theater director
5:30 p.m. | Democratic March From Palazzo Spaventa to the Auditorium in the Park and back
The Forum leaves the halls of Palazzo Spaventa and takes to the streets with the Demopratico Parade, which will wind through the central streets of L’Aquila’s historic center. The procession will be led by Michelangelo Pistoletto’s famous “Sphere of Newspapers,” pushed by children and teenagers from local schools, accompanied by musicians who will play traditional music along the entire route.
The route will start at Palazzo Spaventa, proceed along the Corso, and reach the Terzo Paradiso —the iconic work created by Pistoletto in 2014 in front of the Auditorium in the Park—before returning to the Forum’s headquarters.
6:30 p.m. | Roundtable Discussion Palazzo Spaventa Auditorium
Next, the roundtable discussion titled “Cultural and Creative Enterprises and Their Relationship with Urban Space” explores the role of cultural enterprises as relational infrastructures capable of fostering connections among institutions, citizens, businesses, education, social welfare, and the production system.
Speakers:
- Alessandro Crociata — Scientific Coordinator of the Cultural and Urban Observatory of L’Aquila
- Paolo Naldini — Director of the Pistoletto Cittadellarte Foundation
- Alex Voglino — Abruzzo Film Commission
- Paola Lopes — Cultural Planner
- Davide Oliverio — Artistic Director of Club to Club
Saturday, May 30
9:00 a.m. | Working sessions of the thematic panels
The second day resumes with the working sessions of the roundtables that began the previous day, with the aim of consolidating the ideas that emerged and turning them into concrete proposals.
12:00 p.m. | Public presentation of the Forum’s findings
The public presentation is a fundamental part of the democratic process: the results of the roundtable discussions are presented to the public, in a step that translates the internal work into shared commitments to the local community. The stated goal is to builda shared cultural infrastructure that enables key players in L’Aquila’s cultural, social, and economic life to develop common approaches to governance and development, in constant dialogue with institutions.
The morning will feature the dance performance *Terzo Paradiso*, choreographed by Aurora Ciuffetelli for the Centro Studi Danza L’Arabesque, as well as a presentation by Giuseppe Stampone, an artist from Abruzzo who has returned to the foothills of Gran Sasso with the goal of launching a major participatory project in his homeland. Paolo Naldini will deliver the closing remarks at the first L’Aquila Forum.
The Meaning of the Democratic Opera in L’Aquila
“We are very proud of the tremendous response we are receiving from organizations in L’Aquila,” said Giacomo Bassmaji, coordinator of Opera Democratica L’Aquila. We are meeting fantastic people who want to participate and work together with the Pistoletto Cittadellarte Foundation to build a cultural infrastructure for regional development in L’Aquila. On May 29 and 30, we’ll try to take a fresh look at the city’s cultural and creative enterprises, sparking a debate to make this a shared and productive journey.”
The Opera Demopratica L’Aquila is part of the program for L’Aquila, Italian Capital of Culture 2026, as an event that extends beyond the two days in May: the goal is to leave behind a lasting cultural ecosystem in the region, capable of sustaining the relationships, practices, and projects that emerged during the process over time.