Just a walk through Ascoli Piceno

the best way to discover a city is to walk through it, so i recommend a short walk through the piazzas of this nice city, Ascoli Piceno.

This is the most southern city of region Marche, on the border with Abruzzo region, Ascoli Piceno is located 25 kilometers from the Adriatic coast and has approximately 50,000 inhabitants.

Ascoli Piceno area has a rich and long history. It was inhabited by the Piceno tribe around the 3rd century BC. As the myth said, this tribe eas from Tuscany and arrived here following a woodpecker, from which then they took the name: instead, Piceni comes from Picus, that is the latin for woodpecker. Later, became part of the Roman Empire in 268 BC. In medieval times Ascoli belonged to the Spoleto family.

Ascoli Piceno is known as a city of art, towers and travertine buildings where you can find different relics refer to antique, Langobards, renaissance, baroque and art deco, from different periods at almost at every corner.

You could begin from Piazza del Popolo, that is the heart of the historic center of Ascoli Piceno and its best open-air monument. As you know, Italy is full of piazzas, that we call as the living room, cause from ancient times still now, they have always represented the centre of social, economic and political life.

At the end of this plaza, there is saint Francis Church, a latin cross church in gothic style, built after the visit of this great Saint. At one side, there is Palazzo dei Capitani del Popolo, a building built between 13 and 14 centuries but every Lord gave a sign according to the past of the period.

And you can’t miss to have a seat and take a coffee in the Cafe Meletti, an old fashionable cafe, built in 1905, where also Hemingway drank a coffee…and maybe a anisetta coffee, too! An anise based liqueur to add into espresso, giving a sweetier taste!

Another piazza that competes with this piazza del Popolo is Piazza Arringo much larger but not less harmonic than piazza del Popolo.

This harmonic style is giving by the use of travertine, a kind of marble coming from the nearby mountains

Piazza Arringo has been for centuries the centre of power of the city and it is one of the first things you have to see once you have arrived.

Over the centuries, it probably home of one of the squares in Roman times, has its name for the popular gatherings held in the Middle Ages, the “herrings” or “arenghi”. Its rectangular shape is bordered by pubblic and private of various ages but all perfectly matched with white local stone, travertine.

This piazza is closed by the duomo di Sant’ Emidio, the saint patron of Ascoli, protector against the earthquakes and the Baptistery of Saint John, with its traditional 8 side shape, it was the place where people who didn’t receive baptism could entry.

Being the centre of political life, was also the background for medieval tournaments linked to the patron saint celebrations. And today, every August , there is the revival of Quintana and the Giostra dell’anello.

This is just the historic centre of Ascoli but this city offers much more just 2 steps outside the historic centre with the Roman bridge a d the way of stars…. enjoy your stay and discover this unknown beauties!