Ascoli Piceno is a city in the southern end of Marche about 25 km from the Adriatic coast. Population: 90,000.

Understand

Around the VIIIth-VIIth BC the legend says of a tribe of Etruscan people named "Sabini" following a sacred bird named "Picchio", found this natural fortification on the cross of the two rivers: "Tronto" and "Castellano" and built here his village named "Piceni". Later they were conquered by the Romans, until in the 91 BC they started the independence war against Rome, ended two years later, with the partial destruction of the town.

Get in

By train

There is a line from San Benedetto del Tronto on the mainline along the Adriatic coast of Italy. The station is few hundred meters outside the centre.

By bus from Rome

A bus from Rome begin his route from the street "Castro Pretorio", near Termini (the main train station of Rome) and arrive in front of the train station, in Ascoli Piceno http://www.startspa.it/navroma.htm

By car

From North, in the highway A14 the exit "Ascoli Piceno - San Benedetto del Tronto" than get the free highway "Ascoli-Mare" for 28 km following the indication From Rome take the SS4 "Salaria" (Statal Street n°4) directed and passing to Rieti and after 197 km exit in "Rosara" and continue to East (on the left) for 2 km

Get around

Everything inside the fortified town can be reached on foot.

See

• Piazza del Popolo The main square of the city is considered one of the most beautiful in Italy. [1]:PalazzoCapitaniAP.jpg
• La chiesa di San Francesco, the church of Saint Francisco owerlooking the main square.
• The medieval town and streets in travertin's local stone materials.
• The roman age fortress named "Fortezza Pia" in the upper part of the town, the walls and the bridges around the town
• The inside tunnel on the Porta Solestà's bridge recostructed "Porta Solestà"'s bridge offer a free visit to one escape's way in case of siege to the city
• Vesta's temple archeologist discover, after years of studies, it was initially devoted to the cult of Iside
• il Duomo e Piazza Arringo Duomo's church and his Arringo square with TownHall palace and Archeological Museum
• The "Ventidio Basso" Theater a most beautiful renascimental theater
• The auditorium build in a roman pagan temple, with his special acoustic
• the Roman Theater in phase of escavating, near "Porta Romana" also known as "Porta Gemina" for its egual gates in the West of the fortified town with its mastodontic walls

Do

- Walking rounds of the town explained by the tourist office in the ground floor of "Palazzo dei capitani" in the main square "Piazza del Popolo"

Buy

- antique stuff market named "Mercatino dell'antiquariato" in the old streets of the center, stand every third weekends of the month

- Cheaper handmaded shoes in the nearby factories

- The traditional "Anisetta Meletti" a sweet anise distillate digester 130's years old http://www.meletti.it/english/ehome.html preferely in the original cafè Meletti in the main square "Piazza del Popolo": it's one of the 150's oldest cafè in Italy

Eat

- the typicals "olive all'ascolana" maded by olives fitted with meat and spices, breaded and fried in olive oil

• Trattoria Da Middio, Via delle Canterine (near Porta Tufilla's monument), ☏ +39 0736 250867. 15-20 euro. 

• Peperoncino, Via di Vesta (near the Vesta's Temple), ☏ +39 0736 256355. 15-25 euro. 

• Lorenz, Piazza del Popolo n°5-8 (in the main square), ☏ +39 0736 253444. 20-30 euro. 

Drink

- Typical cocktails and local wines in the main square, ad the nearby bars, starts just before the dinner, at 7PM

Sleep

Budget

• Cantina Dell'Arte, Rua della Lupa n°5, ☏ +39 0736 255620, +39 328720483, fax: +39 0736 255191, ristorante@cantinadellarte.it. 
• Ostello de' Longobardi, Via dei Soderini (presso Palazzetto Longobardo) 26, ☏ +39 0736 261862, +39 3333807683, longobardoascoli@libero.it. 

Mid-range

• Albergo Piceno, Via Minucia n°10, ☏ +39 0736 253017, fax: +39 0736 251803, info@albergopiceno.it. 

Splurge

• Hotel Gioli, viale De Gasperi n°14, ☏ +39 0736 255550, fax: +39 0736 252145, hotelgioli@mercurio.it. 

Go next

• There is some nice romanic and medieval castles around the town: ask to see "CastelTrosino", "Montadamo", "Civitella del Tronto" and "Arquata del Tronto".

• In the Summer and Autumn every week any little town nearby organize a "Sagra" were is possible to taste typical foods and beverages of the town and the lands around it.