One and then two and then 9 years have passed since January 18, 2017, when an avalanche overwhelmed the Rigopiano hotel in Farindola, Abruzzo, and 29 people died.
Only yesterday – 11 February 2026 – the Court of Appeal of Perugia, after almost eight hours of deliberation, sentenced the former regional managers to two years. The former mayor of Farindola, the former municipal technician and the three regional managers were acquitted. Two prescriptions for former leaders of the Province.
After almost 10 years since the Rigopiano tragedy, a new chapter has arrived, the fourth, of the judicial process. In the first instance trial in Pescara there were five convictions and 25 acquittals, while in the appeal in L’Aquila the convictions rose to eight.
At the end of 2024 the Supreme Court annulled the convictions, reopening some positions. Only a few days ago, as per tradition, on January 18, the relatives of the victims of the tragedy gathered at the site of the disaster to remember those who lost their lives in 2017.
The processes
The judicial process linked to the tragedy developed through three levels of judgement, with partly different outcomes. The first sentence arrives on 23 February 2023, when the Court of Pescara issues five convictions and 25 acquittals. Three of the recognized responsibilities concern the management of road safety and the usability of the accommodation facility, with penalties for provincial road officials accused of not having ensured the clearing of snow and the closure of a stretch of road, in addition to the conviction of the then mayor for not having ordered the clearing. Minor sanctions were also imposed on the hotel manager and the technician who had drawn up a report attached to a request for building work, deemed untrue.
In the second instance, on 14 February 2024, the Court of Appeal of L’Aquila partially modified the verdict: new responsibilities were recognized for institutional figures of the prefecture and for a municipal technician, while the acquittals already pronounced and the sentences established in the first instance remained confirmed.
The final decision arrives on 3 December 2024. Four convictions for crimes linked to official omissions and falsification of public documents become irrevocable. At the same time, the Court of Cassation establishes that the disaster should have been foreseen and prevented, partially accepting the requests of the general prosecutor’s office and ordering a new appeal trial for ten defendants.
