Ascoli Piceno in the Province of Marche
"It's possible to detect the history spanning the millenia of Ascoli Piceno in a glance. Everywhere one looks, there are tangible traces of important historical events from the past. This is clearly seen from the extraordinary layout of houses from the Medieval period and it may further be noted from the cob web of its lanes and its public squares, surprising in their variety, yet unified" (Paolo Volponi).
Divided into the classical pattern of the Roman Castrum, the city centre appears compact and well protected within its walls, sealed off on the east by the Tronto River and by one of its tributaries, the Castellano. The travertine stone (which is typical of this area), that has been for centuries the only material used in construction, characterises the layout of the city and is responsible for the unmistakable colour of the walls. The modern city developed eastward, following the Tronto in its course to the sea.
As in the past, town life has its focus even now in two main meeting points: Piazza del Popolo, the so-called salotto (sitting room) of the city and centre of the most important local festivals (like the historical exhibition of the Quintana or the crowded city Carnival) and Piazza Arringo, the political and religious core of the city since Medieval times.
The architectural style of the square we see nowadays took its form during the XVIth century, when Piazza del Popolo was completed with the porticos and graceful columned loggia, which hid the crowd of workshops, giving a well-defined order, so typical of the Renaissance style, to the Medieval buildings of the square: Palazzo dei Capitani del Popolo (The Captain's Building) and St. Francesco Church.
This beautiful church, whose lateral façade closes the north side, dominates the scene. It was completed in 1550, in the plan of a Latin cross. Its three naves are surmounted by Gothic arches an Romanesque vaults. The refectory houses frescos thought to be the work of Cola dell'Amatrice and, more recently, of pupils from the school of Vasari. Next to the church we can admire the two cloisters: the main one (chiostro maggiore), today occupied by a vegetable market, and the minor (chiostro minore) adjoined to a modern building.
The original nucleus of the Captain's Building dates back to the late XIIth century, even though below the building a layer of flooring deriving from different epochs has recently been discovered, the most ancient being Roman. Cola dell'Amatrice, artist and architect, designed the back façade of the building. Gracing the front is a monumental statue of Pope Paolo III.
In Arringo Square (Piazza Arringo) we find the Cathedral (Cattedrale), dedicated to St. Emidio from Treviri, the Patron Saint of the city. A lateral chapel houses a famous polyptych (Polittico), masterpiece of the painter Carlo Crivelli, completed in 1473. On the left side of the Cathedral stands the Baptistry (Battistero), an elegant Romanesque construction with a square base surmounted by an unusual octagonal level. The Bishop's official residence (Palazzo dell'Episcopio) is situated on the south side of the square and it is seat to the Diocesan Museum (Museo Diocesano) and the Palazzo dell'Arengo, seat of the Civic Art Gallery (Pinacoteca Civica), which houses one of the most important collections of figurative art of all central Italy.
A city of prehistoric origins (founded by the Sabini people), Ascoli conserves important signs of the Roman domination, among which are the remains of the Roman Theatre (Teatro Romano), the Annunziata Caves (Grotte dell'Annunziata), and the Augusteo Bridge (Ponte Augusteo) located at Porta Solestà, still in use even to this day. In the Medieval period numerous Nobility Towers (Torri Gentilizie) were erected as a means of defence for the local patrician families. Several of these towers still stand intact in the urban area, and it is to them that Ascoli owes its nickname of "città dalle cento torri" ("City of the Hundred Towers"). However, the building that best represents the magnificence of Medieval Ascolan patricians is Palazzo Malaspina, seated in Corso Mazzini (the main street). Characteristic is its attic loggia, made of arches supported by twenty columns in the shape of tree-trunks. Currently the palace houses the seat of the Touristic Society Parco Piceno.
The Medieval mood gave way to the flourishing of excellent Romanesque churches, which enriched the layout of the city. Among the most important examples, we must mention Sts. Vincenzo and Anastasio Church (Chiesa dei SS. Vincenzo e Anastasio) and St. Maria inter Vineas Church (Chiesa di S. Maria inter Vineas), a rare example of a fortified church.
The rich historical past of Ascoli is skilfully revived during the renowned Torneo Cavalleresco della Quintana, a tournament for knights "fighting" to conquer the Palio. Six jousting horseriders, one from each "Quarter", are followed by thousands of participants donning costumes from the fifteenth century. The Quintana, together with the renowned city Carnival (Carnevale ascolano), animates the folklore of the city and represents, therefore, an event that cannot be missed.
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