Villa Sgariglia Resort Campolungo

Piazza Arringo

by iandsmith

Since the founding of Ascoli Piceno as a free city-state, this is the square where public assemblies were held. The word "arengo" means just that and so the corruption to Arringo. The buildings look like they were erected just recently and the splendid Cathedral of S. Emidio is a fine example of just that. On its left is the octagonal Baptistry of S. Giovanni. Somewhat sadly, I felt, some young urchins were bounding their bikes up and down the steps while I took the photo but, that's life!
If you've ever wondered about the geometrical significance of the Baptistry, wonder no more. The square plant of the bottom part represents the terrestrial world, the dome is the sky; in other words, the immensity; the central octagonal part represents baptism as the mediation between the earthly and the divine.
The saint after whom the cathedral was named came from Trier in Germany and was the first bishop of Ascoli. After his martyrdom in 303AD, St. Emidio became the patron saint of the city and this is celebrated annually on August 5th. He is also invoked in all of Italy as protector against earthquakes.
Out of sight to the right is the Arengo Palace, seat of the town hall.
It is here that the Municipal Art Gallery can be viewed and, while I was there, an exhibition featuring the Longobards was on.

In Ascoli you had better be...

by dnwitte

In Ascoli you had better be prepared to speak some Italian. This is a small town, off the beaten track, and foreign tourists are rare enough to attract attention from the locals, to the extent that we got stared at fairly frequently. Absolutely no one made any attempt to speak to us in English, which I find to be quite rare in Italy, and it was always assumed we understood what they were saying. (not always true!) Most people were very nice, while maintaining some reserve.

Ascoli Piceno

by raintown4

"Undiscovered Beauty"

We were traveling from Norcia to Ancona to catch an overnight ferry to Croatia. Consequently were able to spend just a few hours wandering around. To say that we were impressed with Ascoli would be an understatement. All four of us are intent on returning for an extended visit.

"Le Marche"

Ascoli Piceno is the major city of the southern Marche with enough museums, churches, squares, and parks for several days of exploring. The mountains and the Adriatic are short drives. I can envision a week in Ascoli with a car, alternating between in-city days and day trips into the surrounding area.