The city of L'Aquila confirms itself as a genuine open-air laboratory of social innovation and active citizenship founded on culture.
The Forum on the Ecosystem of Cultural and Creative Industries concluded today at Palazzo Spaventa. It serves as the operational heart of the Demopratic Work curated by Fondazione Pistoletto Cittadellarte, with the support of the Municipality of L'Aquila.
The initiative is integrated as a strategic tool within the broader journey of L'Aquila Italian Capital of Culture 2026, aiming to reactivate the role of culture in territorial and economic development processes.

A collective journey: from the exhibition to civic rituals
The Forum represents the second phase of a structured journey launched on 22 April at Palazzo ONMI with the Ecosistema Culturale (Cultural Ecosystem) exhibition, where the works of Michelangelo Pistoletto dialogue with local key figures in an installation of the Third Paradise made of chairs—a symbol of the willingness to take part in discussion and co-design panels. This preparatory phase (mapping and exhibition/workshop) then developed during these days into proper "civic rituals" capable of building visions and practices. A journey of participation inextricably linked to the urban activations of recent days, such as the widespread performance actions (Harmonielehre curated by Francesco Laineri with the collaboration of Mariangela De Vita, Abitare lo spazio curated by Silvia Di Gregorio, Dreamtime led by Domenico Capanna, and Terzo Paradiso curated by Aurora Ciuffetelli with the dancers of the Centro Studi Danza L'Aqrabesque) and the joyful, vibrant Demopratic Procession. The procession saw Forum participants and young students from the "Dante Alighieri" Comprehensive Institute and the "Bafile" High School rolling Pistoletto's Sfera di giornali (Newspaper Sphere) along the city's main street, the Corso, all the way to the Third Paradise created in 2014 in front of the Auditorium del Parco.

The results of the Forum: from ideas to actionable proposals
The two days of work at the Forum transformed Palazzo Spaventa into an innovative, participatory "micro-government". Through the activities of five thematic panels, each aligned with the Goals of the 2030 Agenda, the participants—including artists, institutions, businesses, associations and citizens—mapped the needs of the territory and co-designed shared actions. Among the main outcomes achieved, the following stand out:

-The implementation and video narration of three collective performances, developed along three strands: culture that heals, culture that generates development, sculpture as a relationship.

-The research-backed design and development of the House of Cultural and Creative Business, based on bottom-up listening to children's communities through relationships with schools (informed and trained by teachers), workshops, and a feedback event in Piazza Duomo with the collective creation of an emotional map.

-Periferia che dà energia (Suburbs that give energy), a project for connecting and sharing creative, civic energies—and actual electricity—between those living in the suburbs and those living in the city centre, meeting in the "third circle" of the Third Paradise with performance actions such as widespread flash mobs.

-Cultural literacy, awareness paths on the role of widespread culture in the social and economic development of the Seismic Crater territory, to be rolled out across all schools by activating the Cultural Lab—an urban space for creative connections where everyone can co-design, teach and learn something.

Regarding the outcomes and the vision guiding this participatory process, Paolo Naldini, Director of Fondazione Pistoletto Cittadellarte, declared: "The city of L'Aquila enters the demopratic geography alongside Geneva, Rome, Havana, Biella, Gorizia, and Seoul; luminous workshops of participation founded on art, freedom, and responsibility. In these cities, diverse organisations recognise one another and unite to rethink and regenerate the ways we inhabit the world, so that we may remain in it with happiness, prosperity and justice. Upon these practices, we can found an idea of society that is both urgent and capable of mobilising our best talents, united by the formula of the Third Paradise into a true Statodellarte." During the public meeting to present the forum's outcomes, held on Saturday 30 May at 12:00 at Palazzo Spaventa, the international artist Giuseppe Stampone—co-author of the Abruzzo Mon Amour project active at the foot of the Gran Sasso—took the floor, fully embodying the spirit of participation and co-creation of the forum itself.

The next steps of the project: towards a lasting ecosystem

The plenary feedback session does not represent a finish line, but rather a fundamental milestone of the Demopratic Work. The proposals that emerged constitute concrete tools to consolidate the network born over these days into a "lasting territorial ecosystem"—a shared cultural infrastructure allowing the key players of city life to continue developing common practices of governance and development, in constant dialogue with administrative institutions. With L'Aquila's Demopratic Work, culture is not merely a programme of events to be consumed, but a permanent, participatory construction site capable of generating cohesion, care and development for the entire community. The seeds have been sown over these days: just like the saffron plant, which blossoms in autumn, the ideas that emerged will be able to bloom in the coming season.

Photo credits: Gianfranco Fortuna.