The
Province of L'Aquila (
Provincia dell'Aquila) is the largest, most mountainous and least densely populated
province of the
Abruzzo region of
Southern Italy. It comprises about half the landmass of Abruzzo and occupies the western part of the region. It has borders with the provinces of
Teramo to the north,
Pescara and
Chieti to the east,
Isernia (in
Molise region) to the south and
Frosinone,
Rome and
Rieti (in
Lazio region) to the west. Its capital is the city of
L'Aquila. The Province of L'Aquila includes the highest mountains of the Apennines (Gran Sasso, Maiella and Velino-Sirente), their highest peak,
Corno Grande, the high plain of
Campo Imperatore, and Europe's southernmost glacier, the
Calderone. The province's major rivers are the Aterno-Pescara, Sangro, Liri, Salto, and the Turano; its major lakes are Lago Scanno and Lago Barrea. It once included the largest lake on the Italian peninsula,
Lago Fucino, which was drained in one of the 19th century's largest engineering projects. The lake basin is today a flourishing agricultural area and an important technological district.