Ascoli Piceno (; la, Asculum; dialetto ascolano: Ascule) is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' in the Marche region of Italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population is around 46,000 but the urban area of the city has more than 93,000.

Geography

The town lies at the confluence of the

Tronto The Tronto ( la, Truentus) is a long Italian river that arises at Monti della Laga and ends in the Adriatic Sea at Porto d'Ascoli, San Benedetto del Tronto. It traverses the Lazio, Marche, and Abruzzo regions of Italy. The source of the Tront ...

River and the small river Castellano and is surrounded on three sides by mountains. Two natural parks border the town, one on the northwestern flank ( Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini) and the other on the southern (

Parco Nazionale dei Monti della Laga The Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park is a natural park located mostly in Abruzzo, Italy. It was established in 1991, it has an area of , and it is mainly spread out across the province of Teramo, L'Aquila, Pescara, with small areas i ...

). Ascoli has good rail connections to the Adriatic coast and the city of

San Benedetto del Tronto San Benedetto del Tronto is a city and ''comune'' in Marche, Italy. Part of an urban area with 100,000 inhabitants, it is one of the most densely populated areas along the Adriatic Sea coast. It is the most populated city in Province of Ascoli Pi ...

, by highway to

Porto d'Ascoli Porto d'Ascoli (Ascoli's Harbour) is a modern residential quarter of San Benedetto del Tronto in the Province of Ascoli Piceno, Marche region. History It commemorates in its name the building of a port, in 1245, at the end of Tronto river, buil ...

and by the Italian National Road 4

Salaria ''Salaria'' is a genus of fish in the family Blenniidae. It now contains marine species which are found around the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Freshwater species were reallocated to '' Salariopsis'' in 2022. One species, ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

History

Ascoli was founded by an Italic population (

Piceni The name Picentes or Picentini refers to the population of Picenum, on the northern Adriatic coastal plain of ancient Italy. Their endonym, if any, is not known for certain. There is linguistic evidence that the Picentini comprised two different ...

) several centuries before Rome's founding on the important

Via Salaria The Via Salaria was an ancient Roman road in Italy. It eventually ran from Rome (from Porta Salaria of the Aurelian Walls) to ''Castrum Truentinum'' ( Porto d'Ascoli) on the Adriatic coast, a distance of 242 km. The road also passed throug ...

, the

salt road A salt road (also known as a salt route, salt way, saltway, or salt trading route) refers to any of the prehistoric and historical trade routes by which essential salt was transported to regions that lacked it. From the Bronze Age (in the 2nd m ...

that connected

Latium Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire. Definition Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil ( Old Latium) on w ...

with the salt production areas on the Adriatic coast. In 268 BC it became a ''civitas foederata'', a "federated" city with nominal independence from Rome. In 91 BC, together with other cities in central Italy, it revolted against Rome, but in 89 BC was reconquered and destroyed by

Pompeius Strabo Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo (c. 135 – 87 BC) was a Roman general and politician, who served as consul in 89 BC. He is often referred to in English as Pompey Strabo, to distinguish him from his son, the famous Pompey the Great, or from Strabo the g ...

in the

Battle of Asculum The Battle of Asculum took place in 279 BC between the Roman Republic under the command of the consuls Publius Decius Mus and Publius Sulpicius Saverrio, and the forces of King Pyrrhus of Epirus. The battle took place during the Pyrrhic War, a ...

. Its inhabitants acquired Roman citizenship following the war. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

Ascoli was ravaged by the Ostrogoths and then by the

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the '' History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...

of King

Faroald Faroald I (also spelled Faruald) (died 591 or 592) was the first Duke of Spoleto, which he established during the decade of interregnum that followed the death of Alboin's successor (574 or 575). He led the Lombards into the centre of the Italian ...

(578). After nearly two centuries as part of the Lombard Duchy of Spoleto (593–789), Ascoli was ruled by the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

through their vicars, but ultimately it was the bishops that gained influence and power over the city. In 1189 a free republican municipality was established but internal strife led dramatically to the demise of civic values and freedom and to unfortunate ventures against neighboring enemies. This unstable situation opened the way to foreign dictatorships, like those of

Galeotto I Malatesta Galeotto I Malatesta (1299–1385) was an Italian condottiero, who was lord of Rimini, Fano, Ascoli Piceno, Cesena and Fossombrone. Biography Born in Rimini, he was the son of Pandolfo I Malatesta and the brother of Malatesta II Malatesta. In 133 ...

(14th century), initially recruited as a mercenary ( condottiero) in the war against

Fermo Fermo (ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and ''comune'' of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo. Fermo is on a hill, the Sabulo, elevation , on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway. History The oldest hu ...

, and

Francesco Sforza Francesco I Sforza (; 23 July 1401 – 8 March 1466) was an Italian condottiero who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) duke from 1450 until his death. In the 1420s, he participated in the War of L'A ...

. Sforza was ousted in 1482, but Ascoli was again compelled to submit to the Papal suzerainty. In 1860 it was annexed, together with Marche and

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

, into the newly unified Kingdom of Italy.

Government

Main sights

Many of the buildings in the central historical part of the city are built using marble called '' travertino'', a grey-hued stone extracted from the surrounding mountains. Its central Renaissance square, ''

Piazza del Popolo Piazza del Popolo is a large urban square in Rome. The name in modern Italian language, Italian literally means "People's Square", but historically it derives from the Populus, poplars (''populus'' in Latin language, Latin, ''pioppo'' in Italian) ...

'' ("People's Square") is surrounded by a number of buildings utilizing this stone, now often hosting open-air markets. Depending on the position of the Sun and the Moon, its color is constantly changing. A few blocks away, the Piazza Arringo, or piazza dell'Arengo, was the administrative and religious center of the town, surrounded by the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

, the

baptistery In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned structure surrounding the baptismal ...

, the Bishop's residence, and the Palace of the Commune. According to traditional accounts, Ascoli Piceno once housed some two hundred towers in the Middle Ages: today some fifty can still be more evidently seen. Main sights include:

Churches and convents

* Cathedral of Sant'Emidio, dedicated to

Saint Emygdius Saint Emygdius (Latin: ''Emidius, Æmedius, Emigdius, Hemigidius''; it, Sant'Emidio; c. 279 – c. 309 AD) was a Christian bishop who is venerated as a martyr. Tradition states that he was killed during the persecution of Diocletian. Legend Hi ...

, houses an altarpiece by

Carlo Crivelli Carlo Crivelli (Venice, c. 1430 – Ascoli Piceno, c. 1495) was an Italian Renaissance painter of conservative Late Gothic decorative sensibility, who spent his early years in the Veneto, where he absorbed influences from the Vivari ...

. * Tempietto di Sant'Emidio alle Grotte * Tempietto di Sant'Emidio Rosso * San Francesco:

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style church begun in 1258. The dome was completed in 1549. A monument to

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...

is in the side portal, while the central portal is one of the finest examples of local travertine decoration. Adjacent to the church is the 16th-century ''Loggia dei Mercanti'', in

Bramante Donato Bramante ( , , ; 1444 – 11 April 1514), born as Donato di Pascuccio d'Antonio and also known as Bramante Lazzari, was an Italian architect and painter. He introduced Renaissance architecture to Milan and the High Renaissance style ...

sque style of the Roman

High Renaissance In art history, the High Renaissance was a short period of the most exceptional artistic production in the Italian states, particularly Rome, capital of the Papal States, and in Florence, during the Italian Renaissance. Most art historians stat ...

. *Convent of San Francesco: adjacent to the above-named church, of which two noteworthy cloisters remain today. It was once a prestigious center of culture, whose students included Pope

Sixtus V Pope Sixtus V ( it, Sisto V; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order ...

. * Sant'Agostino: 14th century church built originally with a single nave, was enlarged with two aisles in the late 15th century. The rectangular façade has a 1547 portal similar to that of Sant'Emidio. The convent houses the town library, the Contemporary Art Gallery and an auditorium. * San Cristoforo is a Catholic baroque church located in the historic center of the city. * San Domenico: former convent, now school, has a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

cloister with 17th-century frescoes. * Santa Maria Inter Vineas: 13th century church * San Pietro Martire: 13th century church with a 1523 side portal by Nicola Filotesio, known locally as Cola d'Amatrice. The interior contains the precious reliquary of the Holy Thorn, a gift of Philip IV of France. * San Tommaso: 1069 Romanesque-style church built with

spolia ''Spolia'' (Latin: 'spoils') is repurposed building stone for new construction or decorative sculpture reused in new monuments. It is the result of an ancient and widespread practice whereby stone that has been quarried, cut and used in a built ...

from the neighboring Roman amphitheater. * San Vittore: Romanesque church documented from 996 with a low bell tower. *''Edicola di Morelli'': Monumental baroque niche attached to the exterior of the church of San Francesco at the Piazza del Popolo. The niche housed a venerated Madonna image, putatively designed by Lazzaro Morelli, a disciple of

Gianlorenzo Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, , ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 159828 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor of his ...

Secular buildings

*The ''Palazzo dei Capitani del Popolo'' ("Palace of the People's Captains"). Built in the 13th century connecting three pre-existing edifices, it was the seat of the

podestà Podestà (, English: Potestate, Podesta) was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of Central and Northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a city ...

, the people's captains and, later, of the Papal governors. In the 15th century the southern side was enlarged, and, in 1520, a Mannerist façade was added in the rear side. In 1535 it underwent a general renovation, and in 1549 a new portal, with a monument of Pope Paul III, was added. *'' Palazzo dell'Arengo'', located near the Cathedral *''Palazzo Malaspina'': Palace in Corso Mezzini, previous 14th-century structure reconstructed in the 16th century using designs attributed to architect

Cola dell'Amatrice Nicola Filotesio (9 September 1480 iffering sources give 1489��31 August 1547 ources also give 1559 was an Italian painter, architect and sculptor of the Renaissance period, active primarily in or near the town of Ascoli Piceno (modern capita ...

. *Roman Solestà Bridge *''Porta Gemina'' ("Twin Gate"): an ancient Roman gate from the 1st century BC, through which the

entered the city. The ruins of the ancient theater are located nearby. It had two passageways, each tall and wide *''Porta Tufilla'', a tower-like gate built in 1552–55. It is annexed to the ''Ponte Tufillo'', a medieval bridge built in 1097 over the River Tronto. *''Ponte di Cecco'' (Cecco Bridge), over the Castellano, recently identified of being of

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...

an origin *''Ponte Maggiore'' ("Great Bridge"), of medieval origin *Lombard Palace and the Ercolani Tower (11th-12th centuries) *''Loggia dei Mercanti'': a 16th-century portico annexed to the church of San Francesco. It was commissioned by the city's wool traders guild and finished in 1513. *''Fortezza Pia'', a fortress commanding the city rebuilt in 1560 by Pope Pius IV (whence the name). *Malatesta Fortress, in a site probably occupied by Roman baths. It was rebuilt by

, lord of Rimini, during the war against

. The construction, used as a jail until 1978, was enlarged by

Antonio da Sangallo the Younger 250px, A model of the Apostolic Palace, which was the main project of Bramante during Sangallo's apprenticeship. 250px, The church of Santa Maria di Loreto near the Rome.html"_;"title="Trajan's_Market_in_Rome">Trajan's_Market_in_Rome. image: ...

in 1543. *''Grotte dell'Annunziata'' ("Grottoes of the Annunciation"), a large portico with niches from the 2nd-1st centuries BC, whose original function is unknown (it has been suggested that they could be barracks or slaves dwellings, or a fortified palace) In Castel Trosino, not far from the city, in 1893 a rare 6th-century Lombard necropolis was found.

Parks and gardens

* Giardino Botanico, Istituto Tecnico Agrario Statale "Celso Ulpiani", a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

Economy

Recent industrialization has brought to Ascoli several Italian and multinational companies (

YKK The is a Japanese group of manufacturing companies. As the world's largest zipper manufacturer, YKK Group is most known for making zippers. It also manufactures other fastening products, architectural products, plastic hardware and industrial ...

, Manuli,

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer ...

Barilla ''Barilla'' refers to several species of salt-tolerant (halophyte) plants that, until the 19th century, were the primary source of soda ash and hence of sodium carbonate. The word "barilla" was also used directly to refer to the soda ash obtained ...

) but the bulk of the economy is made up of small and medium-sized enterprises and by those providing professional services to the area. Agriculture is still important (wheat, olives, fruits).

Transport

Ascoli Piceno railway station, opened in 1886, is the southwestern terminus of the San Benedetto del Tronto–Ascoli Piceno railway, a branch of the

Adriatic railway The Adriatic railway (Italian: ''Ferrovia Adriatica'') is the railway from Ancona to Lecce that runs along the Adriatic Coast of Italy, following it almost all of the way. It is one of the main lines of the Italian rail system and links the ...

Education

The city is the administrative headquarters and teaching the School of Architecture and Design at the

University of Camerino The University of Camerino ( it, Università degli Studi di Camerino) is a university located in Camerino, Italy. It is the best university of Italy among those with fewer than 10,000 students, according to the Guida Censis Repubblica 2011 and 201 ...

and the International School on Safety and Environmental Protection private university's Alma Mater Europaea.

Culture and sport

The main festivity is on the first Sunday in August. The historical parade with more than 1500 people dressed in Renaissance costume is held in celebration of Saint Emidio, protector of the city. The parade is followed by a tournament, called '' Quintana'', in which six knights, each competing for one of the six neighborhoods in the city, ride the course one after the other trying to hit an effigy of an Arab warrior. Strength and ability are necessary for the knight to win the ''palio'' or grand prize. The Castellano river is a site for swimming and bathing in summer. Founded in 1898, Ascoli Calcio is the main football team in the city. It is one of the oldest teams in Italy and it played for 16 years in Serie A.

Gastronomy

'' Olive all'ascolana'' is a dish which originated from this locality. It is prepared from olives.

Territorial subdivision

Bivio Giustimana, Campolungo-villa sant'Antonio, Caprignano, Carpineto, Casa circondariale, Casalena, Casamurana, Case di Cioccio, , Castel di Lama stazione, Castel Trosino, Cervara, Colle, Colle san Marco, Colloto, Colonna, Colonnata, Faiano, Funti, Giustimana, Il Palazzo, Lago, Lisciano, Lisciano di Colloto, Montadamo, Morignano, Mozzano, Oleificio Panichi, Palombare, Pedana, Piagge, Pianaccerro, Poggio di Bretta, Polesio, Ponte Pedana, Porchiano, Rosara, San Pietro, Santa Maria a Corte, Talvacchia, Taverna di mezzo, Trivigliano-villa Pagani, Tronzano, Valle Fiorana, Valle Senzana, Valli, Vena piccola, Venagrande, Villa S. Antonio.

Notable people

Cecco d'Ascoli Cecco d'Ascoli (1257 – September 26, 1327) is the popular name of Francesco degli Stabili (sometimes given as Francesco degli Stabili Cichus), an Italian encyclopaedist, physician and poet. Cecco (in Latin, ''Cichus'') is the diminutive of Fran ...

, 12th-century poet * Domenico Balestrieri, 15th-century painter * Francesco Bellini, entrepreneur * Girolamo Buratti, 16th-century painter *

, Renaissance painter *

Mattia Destro Mattia Destro (; born 20 March 1991) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Empoli. He has also featured at international level, holding eight caps for Italy. Club career Youth career Destro began his ...

, footballer *

Romano Fenati Romano Fenati (born 15 January 1996) is an Italian motorcycle racer who has competed at Grand Prix level. He raced for the early part of the season in Moto2, before being sacked by principal Luca Boscoscuro. In September 2022, Fenati signed wi ...

, motorcycle road racer * Dino Ferrari, 20th-century painter * Detto Mariano, composer, arranger, pianist, record producer and music publisher. * Stefano Travaglia, tennis player *

Dardust Dario Faini, also known as Dardust or DRD, is an Italian songwriter, record producer and pianist. He composed songs for several recording artists, including Marco Mengoni, Francesco Renga, Emma, Annalisa, Thegiornalisti, Giusy Ferreri, Levan ...

, musician * Alice Pagani, actress, model, author

International relations

Ascoli Piceno is twinned with: *

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

, Germany, since 1958 * Massy, France, since 1997 * Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, since 1998

References

External links

Official websiteASCOLIDAVIVERE.it - Events, concerts, folklore, culture, entertainmentAscoli Piceno Antique Market

{{Authority control Cities and towns in the Marche