SST-PhD Days will be held in L'Aquila at the GSSI Auditorium, located in the Rectorate Building Via Michele Iacobucci 2. Thursday evening seminar will be held in the "Zordan" congress center of the University of L'Aquila, located in the San Basilio monastery in Piazza San Basilio.
The Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) is an international PhD school and a center for advanced research and higher education in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science and Social Sciences.
The University of L'Aquila (UnivAQ) is a teaching and research institution with about 19,000 students and 600 professors, offering a full range of academic programmes including biotechnologies, sciences, economics, engineering, humanities, medicine, psychology, and sport sciences.
GSSI and UnivAQ are located in the heart of L'Aquila historic city centre. L'Aquila is a city in the centre of Italy, at about 110 Km to the east of Rome. The city is positioned at a height of 721 m above sea level in a valley, surrounded by the Appenine Mountains, with the Gran Sasso massif to the north east.
How to reach
L'Aquila can be reached by flight, rail, or road. Detailed travel information about how to reach L'Aquila and the GSSI can be found below.
By airplane + bus
The closest airports are located in Rome (Fiumicino Airport - Ciampino Airport) and in Pescara (Aeroporto d’Abruzzo). An express coach service directly connects both Fiumicino and Ciampino Airports to L'Aquila, operated by Gaspari bus company. The trip takes about 2h from Fiumicino and 1h45m from Ciampino. You can find timetable and fares info on www.gasparionline.it/en. Tickets may be bought online or directly on the bus.
When in L'Aquila, Gaspari buses stop close to My Suite Hotel (former Hotel Amiternum), about 3 km far from GSSI. From there you can take any bus going towards the city center and get off at Collemaggio Terminal Bus, which is 10 mins walking from GSSI. Also taxi cabs are normally available close to My Suite Hotel. You can also call radio-taxi company (+39 0862 25165, web: www.radiotaxilaquila.it). It would cost around 6-10 € depending on traffic or day/night fare.
From Rome Fiumicino airport you can also use the train to the station Roma Tirburtina (about 35 minutes) and take a bus to L'Aquila (about 1h30min): see train+bus.
SST-PhD Days buses will be organized from/to Rome Fiumicino airport and from/to Rome Tiburtina (see the corresponding page on this web site).
By train + bus
While L'Aquila rail station is not well connected, frequent bus connections are available from the train station Rome Tiburtina in Rome. This station is served with frequent high-speed service by both main Italian rail companies (Trenitalia and Italo). If your train only stops in another station, e.g. Roma Termini, take the metro (line B) to reach Roma Tiburtina.
Buses from Rome Tiburtina are offered (among others) by TUA, Flixbus and Gaspari (about 1h30m). The bus parking lot is in front of the station's main entrance. Buses offered by TUA are the most convenient since they arrive at Collemagio Terminal Bus (about 500m from GSSI), while Gaspari and Flibux buses arrive close to My Suite Hotel (former Hotel Amiternum). For more information about how to reach the GSSI from the bus stops in L'Aquila see "By airplane+bus" instructions above.
By car
Among other solutions, drivers can take the A24 highway and take the exit "L'Aquila Ovest" or "L'Aquila Est". Then, follow the road signs to the city center and, in particular, those with the logo of the GSSI.
By train
This is may be the less convenient solution if you are in a hurry, but the small trains that climb the mountains up to L'Aquila from Terni or Sulmona will bring you through really wonderful landscapes. Visit the Trenitalia site for timetables. From the L'Aquila train station take a bus or a taxi to GSSI.
