Castigano in the Province of Ascoli Piceno
Castignano stands out on a hill opposite Ascensione Mountain. The town bears the unmistakable shape of a pyramid, sustained by a high banked wall and surmounted by a Romanesque tower. From the main square the panorama takes in a vast area, going from the Conero promontory to the peaks of Sibillini, Gran Sasso and Maiella Mountains, down to the Adriatic Sea. Equally distant from Ascoli and from San Benedetto del Tronto (about 24 Km.), Castignano's hills display the typical landscape of slopes carved by centuries of erosion, a phenomenon which shapes the calanchi.
One of the most important farm products is the Pimpinella anisinum, from which the essence of anise is extracted to prepare a famous local alcoholic drink, the Anisetta Meletti.
Differing theories try to explain the name derivation of Castignano. The most likely one links its name to an old chestnut grove (locus castanetum). Nevertheless, its city coat of arms bears a chestnut tree.
The discovery of an arenaceous stele (with Vth cent. b.C. inscriptions) gives proof of Piceno presence in this district also. The Stele of Castignano is today kept in the State Archeological Museum of Ascoli Piceno.
Among the tourist attractions to be visited we find the parish church of Sts. Pietro and Paolo (chiesa di SS. Pietro e Paolo) in XIVth century Romanesque style, which stands on the highest point of the city's historical centre. Especially after sunset, one gets the impression to have entered in the heart of a Medieval town.
The town still preserves the memory of its Medieval past and especially of the presence of the Templars, a religious order founded in Jerusalem in 1118 to keep guard over the road connecting the Holy City to the Mediterranean coast. The order is represented in the Gothic church of St. Maria in Borgo (chiesa di S. Maria in Borgo), dating back to the XIVth century, whose portal is decorated in the summit by a T (Tau), the symbol of the order. The Templars left evidence of their influence also in the frescos of an older church, founded by the order before the arrival of the Benedictine monks. The same church houses the precious XVth century reliquary of the Holy Cross (Reliquario della Santa Croce), made by the goldsmith Pietro Tannini, containing relics donated by Pope Niccolò IV.
The Templars chose Castignano for its importance as a stopping point for the pilgrims travelling from Rome to the Holy Land and the town still commemorates them during a three-day popular festival (16th-18th August), the renowned Templaria, Medieval nights (Templaria, notti da Medioevo). During those days the town recreates the magical and almost unreal atmosphere of its Medieval past.
Armed warriors, minstrels, fire-throwers, dancers, jugglers, puppeteers, and other unforgettable characters illuminate the town streets, creating an unforgettable and unique experience.
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