I Luoghi della 1000 Miglia

Ascoli Piceno

The 1000 Miglia in the city of a hundred towers

Also known as the City of a Hundred Towers for its numerous noble towers and belfries, Ascoli Piceno has a historic centre built almost entirely of travertine. It has a favourable geographic position, allowing it to enjoy the Adriatic Sea, less than 30 kilometres away, and at the same time to easily reach Colle San Marco, the Monte dei Fiori, the Monte dell’Ascensione and the Monte Vettore.

The city’s centrepiece is the Renaissance Piazza del Popolo, where several important buildings are located, including the Palazzo dei Capitani del Popolo, the historic Art Nouveau-style Caffè Meletti and the Church of San Francesco, to which the Loggia dei Mercanti is attached. Another very elegant urban space is Piazza Arringo, where the Baptistery of San Giovanni and the Cathedral of Sant’Emidio stand, which contains a crypt also dedicated to the patron saint and the great Polyptych of Sant’Emidio by Carlo Crivelli, signed and dated 1473. Also in Piazza Arringo are the Bishop’s Palace, Palazzo dell’Arengo, home to the Civic Art Gallery, and Palazzo Panichi, home to the State Archaeological Museum.

Among the monuments worth mentioning are the Roman bridge of Solestà, the ruins of the Roman theatre, the Annunziata caves, the Pia Fortress, the Malatesta Fortress, and the 19th-century Ventidio Basso Theatre. Near the city is Castel Trosino, an ancient Longobard settlement near the Castellano stream.