Amatrice (a municipality of approximately 2,600 inhabitants in the province of Rieti, Lazio. 140km northeast of Rome in the Monti della Laga territory, at 955m altitude): the town whose name every Italian and most international food lovers know as the origin of the pasta all'amatriciana (the sauce of guanciale (cured pig cheek), pecorino romano, tomato, and chilli on the rigatoni or spaghetti whose specific Amatrice origin the culinary tradition documents from at least the 18th century), and whose name every Italian news viewer remembers from the morning of August 24, 2016, the 3:36am earthquake that destroyed 80% of the Amatrice historic center and killed 299 of the municipality's residents in 30 seconds.
The 2016 earthquake: the specific Amatrice earthquake (the 6.2 magnitude event of August 24, 2016, the most destructive single Italian earthquake since the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake in terms of the ratio of deaths to residents affected): the specific seismic sequence of August-October 2016 (the Amatrice earthquake, the Norcia earthquake of October 26 (6.1 magnitude), and the Norcia earthquake of October 30 (6.5 magnitude, the strongest Italian earthquake since 1980)) affected the entire border zone of Lazio, Umbria, Marche, and Abruzzo, producing the most extensive earthquake damage to the central Italian historic built environment since the 1997 Umbria-Marche earthquake. The Amatrice historic center (the 16th-century grid-plan town whose specific rationalist urban planning (the via Savoia, the piazza and the tower) the earthquake collapsed in the specific pattern of the historic buildings (the medieval and early modern masonry construction that the 16th-century Amatrice urbanization produced) failing more catastrophically than the more recent reinforced concrete construction outside the historic core).
How do you want to see it?
Lazio, ItalyCompare the same experience on GetYourGuide and Viator, save what you like to My Trip, share it, and book when you’re sure. Nearest to this page first.
Amatrice: Reconstruction, Amatriciana, and Monti della Laga
The Reconstruction in 2026
Amatrice reconstruction status 2026: the specific progress (the 10-year reconstruction timeline established by the Italian Civil Protection and the Commissario Straordinario for the 2016 earthquake reconstruction means that the 2026 Amatrice is a construction site with the central historic area still in the active demolition-and-rebuild phase): the current Amatrice (the temporary commercial and residential prefabricated settlement (the SAE, the Soluzione Abitativa di Emergenza (the emergency housing module) that the Italian Civil Protection provides for earthquake-displaced communities) on the periphery of the historic center. The historic center itself partially accessible for the guided ruins visit. And the specific commercial revival (the Amatrice restaurateurs who have reopened in the temporary SAE commercial structures, serving the specific Amatrice cuisine (the amatriciana, the matriciana in bianco, and the mountain lamb (the agnello alla cacciatora)) in the reconstruction-era context)): the amatriciana visit to Amatrice (the specific restaurant experience of eating the pasta all'amatriciana in Amatrice itself) is available and is supported by the Amatrice "Amatrice Rinasce" (Amatrice Rises Again) reconstruction tourism initiative.
The Original Amatriciana
Pasta all'amatriciana at the source: the specific Amatrice amatriciana (the local version, the spaghetti (not rigatoni, which is the Roman variant) with the guanciale di Amatrice (the specific Amatrice DOP pork cheek cured product), the Pecorino Romano, the San Marzano tomato, the peperoncino, and the white wine (the specific Amatrice recipe uses a splash of white wine in the guanciale rendering, a detail that the Roman variant omits)): the distinction between the Amatrice amatriciana (the origin version with spaghetti) and the Roman amatriciana (the popular-restaurant version with rigatoni and often without the wine) is the specific culinary-territorial argument that the Amatrice community maintains as its primary identity claim.
Q&A: Amatrice
Should I visit Amatrice in 2026?
Yes, with the specific understanding of what the visit involves: the 2026 Amatrice is a town in reconstruction, not a conventional tourist destination with hotels, museums, and monuments in standard operating condition. The visit is meaningful for three reasons: the solidarity dimension (the restaurants reopened in the SAE commercial structures need the business to survive the reconstruction decade), the specific culinary experience (the amatriciana in Amatrice is qualitatively different from the Rome restaurant version in both the specific guanciale quality and the specific pasta format), and the landscape dimension (the Monti della Laga access from Amatrice, the hiking trails into the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park's less-visited Laga sector are of high quality and very low visitor density). The practical: call ahead to the Amatrice IAT tourist office (the tourist office has reopened in the reconstruction area) before visiting to confirm the current restaurant and trail opening status.
