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Folignano in the Province of Ascoli Piceno

The oldest Medieval part of the residential area of Folignano is situated along a hillside in a south-easterly direction from nearby Ascoli, at the foot of the Fiori Mountain (Montagna dei Fiori) and is crossed by the Marino Torrent which, according to some scholars, is supposed to be "the Green", the Verde Torrent, the burial place of the Swabian Manfredi, king of Puglia and Sicily, of whom Dante makes mention in the third Canto of his Purgatory (Divina Commedia).

Of pre-Roman origin, as is proved by the necropolis and the Piceno graves discovered within the territories of Rocca di Morro and Marino, Folignano was on the border-line between the Church State and the Naples Reign for many years. Such a strategic position brought about military raids and led to the building of two fortified garrisons: Rocca di Morro and Castel Folignano, launching point that Ascoli used in the direction of the lands of Abruzzo. During the so-called "Tronto War" ("Guerra del Tronto"), in the XVIth century, the Spanish soldiers destroyed Castel Folignano. The inhabited nucleus of modern day Folignano is presumed to have developed following the defeat of the castle. In the past twenty years its population has greatly increased thanks to the development of Villa Pigna, a residential area a stone's throw from Ascoli.

The remains of Castel Folignano are visible in the foundation of the palace with belfry and clock. The Church of St. Maria delle Grazie and St. Cipriano (chiesa di S. Maria delle Grazie e S. Cipriano), built in the XVIIIth century, houses a XVth century triptych (panel painting) by Pietro Alamanno, representing the Madonna and Child (Madonna col Bambino) with St. Cipriano and St. Caterina from Alessandria. Of the Morro Fortress (Rocca di Morro) nowadays there remains but a bare ruin belonging to a church and a well which is overwhelmed by wild vegetation.

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