(Approved by City Council Resolution No. 420 of October 11, 2024)
Introduction
On March 14, 2024, the city of L’Aquila was designated the 2026 Italian Capital of Culture by the Ministry of Culture, having submitted a candidacy dossier titled “L’Aquila: Multiverse City,” containing an ambitious program of artistic experimentation aimed at creating a culture-based model for the region’s socioeconomic revitalization—one capable of propelling the city toward the future and founded on four pillars: social cohesion, well-being, innovation, and environmental sustainability.
The dossier comprises five strands—Multiculturalism, Multidisciplinarity, Multitemporality, Multireproducibility, and Multinaturalness—which explore the cultural and environmental complexity and richness that characterize L’Aquila, its partner city Rieti, and the surrounding villages through a rich program of initiatives.
The logo for the title of Italian Capital of Culture 2026 features the rose window of the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, whose complex geometric structure evokes the idea of worlds within other worlds. This central element is projected onto a spherical surface to symbolize a macro-universe. From it radiate concentric circles that visually represent the expansion of “worlds” generated by the rose window’s core, and that ideally represent the “planetary system” of small and larger communities orbiting the city and constituting the social, economic, and cultural ecosystem of the Crater.
The logo in question, together with the word elements, constitutes the trademark “L’AQUILA 2026 – Italian Capital of Culture,” registered by the Municipality of L’Aquila, which is its exclusive owner, in accordance with the procedure established by law.
In these guidelines, the term “logo” refers to the trademark “L’AQUILA 2026 – Italian Capital of Culture.”
Art. 1 – Purpose of the Guidelines
These guidelines are intended to regulate the use of the “L’AQUILA 2026 – Italian Capital of Culture” logo, ensuring its appropriate and correct use in non-commercial contexts, in order to safeguard the image and the general interest of the title awarded. The use of the logo represents added value for all projects and initiatives for which it is granted; therefore, these guidelines aim to promote the association of the logo with culturally significant activities recognized within the specific context of the Capital of Culture.
These guidelines outline the procedures for requesting and using the logo, specifying the entities and initiatives authorized to use it.
The provisions of these guidelines apply to any form of communication regarding the promoted initiatives, whether in print, online, or disseminated through other communication channels (such as, for example, radio, television, social media, etc.).
Art. 2 – Description of the logo
The logo, which features a revisited and stylized representation of the Rose Window of the Basilica of Collemaggio, seeks to evoke scenarios and environments from the past, building a bridge to the future through the use of three-dimensionality, which aims to create an immersive experience of the strong fusion of science, humanistic culture, and technology. The “dots” at the end of the rose window merge with the geometry of the rose window and evoke a “trail effect” that creates dynamism, moving from left to right. “L’Aquila, Multiverse City”—the title of the application—is conceptualized with its internal areas in their multiple dimensions as a territory (between local and global), virtually encompassed 360° by this “emotional sphere.” The five cornerstones of the dossier—”Multiculturality,” “Multidisciplinarity,” “Multitemporality,” “Multireproducibility,” and “Multinaturality”—are chromatically highlighted by five different blended colors, which in turn form the city’s unified identity. The colors isolated by the gradient are: YELLOW, RED, BLUE, GREEN, and LIGHT BLUE. The color values for each color are listed in the attached operating manual. The font used is EB GARAMOND Regular in the colors GOLD (L’AQUILA 2026) and BLACK (Italian Capital of Culture), with the distinctive feature of having a tangent point in the “Q” and the “6” to create an ideal connection with the city itself.
The approved, authorized, and registered logo is described in detail in the Operations Manual, attached to these Specifications, which contains all the technical characteristics of the logo in its various versions: vertical, horizontal, four-color, and black and white.
The use of the logo in any way modified in whole or in part from that contained in the attached Manual is not authorized.
Use of the logo must be authorized by the Municipality of L’Aquila upon request by the interested party, according to the procedures indicated in this document.
The specifications will be published on the official website of the Municipality of L’Aquila and sent, upon request, to authorized parties to ensure proper use of the logo.
Art. 3 – Granting of the logo
The Italian Capital of Culture logo is reserved for the institutional uses of the Municipality of L’Aquila and the members of the Committee promoting the candidacy, namely the Municipality of Rieti, the Abruzzo Region, the Special Office for the Reconstruction of L’Aquila – USRA, the Special Office for the Reconstruction of the Crater Municipalities – USRC, and the Special Office for Post-2016 Earthquake Reconstruction for the Abruzzo Region – USR ABRUZZO.
For the purpose of promoting the Italian Capital of Culture, the logo may also be used, upon request, by subsidiaries of the same entities that make up the Promoting Committee.
The “Italian Capital of Culture” logo is also reserved for institutional use by cultural institutions and organizations in which the Municipality of L’Aquila holds a stake or over which it exercises control, as well as by the organizing bodies, for promotional and communication activities related to the “Italian Capital of Culture 2026” initiative.
In addition, the logo is reserved for cultural institutions and organizations that receive regular funding from the City of L’Aquila, with the aim of supporting promotional and communication activities for the 2026 Italian Capital of Culture.
In addition, this applies to entities whose projects are included in the application dossier and to other organizing entities whose initiatives are funded by the Municipality because they are related to the 2026 Italian Capital of Culture.
Individuals or entities that do not fall under the categories listed above may submit a request to the Municipality for non-commercial use of the logo in accordance with the procedures described below, limited exclusively to individual projects or initiatives, provided they are closely related to the designation as the 2026 Italian Capital of Culture.
Projects and initiatives for which permission to use the L’AQUILA 2026 logo is requested must meet the following criteria:
- Be held within the municipalities of L’Aquila and Rieti, or in the municipalities within the 2009 earthquake crater area. Funding may also be granted for events held within the two provinces, provided they demonstrate that they build upon the project’s concept;
- Align with the strategy outlined in the dossier by meeting at least one of the criteria listed above;
- To pursue a social, cultural, or scientific purpose;
- Incorporate elements of quality and innovation, demonstrating the impact of the initiative on the local community, including by integrating cultural welfare programs and processes;
In any case, before using the logo—where authorized—the parties concerned must obtain approval for the promotional material as specified in Art. 6.
Art. 4 – Projects / initiatives excluded from the concession
The granting of the license to use the logo cannot be authorized for initiatives:
- That do not meet the required criteria;
- Of a commercial nature, even if indirect;
- Of a political and/or labor union nature;
- That conflict with the principles set forth in the Municipal Charter.
Art. 5 – Procedures for Requesting a License to Use the Logo and Approval Process
You may request a license to use the “L’AQUILA 2026 – Italian Capital of Culture” logo by submitting the form “All.1_AQ2026 Usage Request,” fully completed and signed by the legal representative of the applicant. The form must be submitted to capitalecultura2026@comune.laquila.it within 30 days of the start of the planned activities.
The relevant municipal office will verify compliance with the requirements; upon completion of this review, the Head of the relevant Department will issue, within 15 days of the date of submission of the request, either approval of the license to use the logo or a denial of such use, communicated in writing.
If authorization is granted, the logo to be used will be provided along with the approval notice and, if requested, the user manual for its proper use. Under no circumstances is the use of the logo permitted if it has been partially or completely modified from the version contained in the manual.
Before promoting any initiatives, concessionaires must submit drafts of their communication and promotional materials to the City of L’Aquila and await the City’s approval before publishing or printing them.
Art. 6 – Clarifications on the granting of use of the logo
The authorization does not confer any exclusive rights and is limited to the project/initiative for which the authorization is issued.
Those who have obtained the concession for use may not assign, sub-license, or otherwise dispose of the use of the L’AQUILA 2026 – Italian Capital of Culture logo in favor of third parties.
The L’AQUILA 2026 – Italian Capital of Culture logo does not in any way replace the official logo of the Municipality of L’Aquila, and its use does not constitute patronage by the Local Authority.
The procedure for requesting patronage, where applicable, must be carried out as provided for by the current ” Municipal Regulation for the allocation of financial benefits and patronage of the Municipality to
Cultural activities ”.
Art. 7 – Oversight and Penalties for Improper Use of “
” The relevant municipal departments shall monitor compliance with the terms of use for the “L’AQUILA 2026 – Italian Capital of Culture” logo and with the technical requirements. They may therefore conduct inspections and/or audits to verify the proper use of the logo.
Any civil, criminal, or tax liability arising from the improper or unauthorized use of the logo shall be borne exclusively by the third party, who shall hold the Municipality of L’Aquila harmless from any liability.
Reproduction or use of the logo in any manner other than as specified in these guidelines will result in the immediate revocation of the license to use the logo and may result in civil penalties.
The City reserves the right to revoke the authorized use of the logo even if the material has not obtained authorization for publication, or if the manner in which the initiative is conducted and/or its communication tools could harm the City or third parties.