Ascoli Piceno Overview

According to legend, Ascoli Piceno (AS-co-lee pee-CHAY-no; pop. 55,000), “the city of a hundred towers,” was founded by Sabines who were guided westward out of central Italy by a picchio (woodpecker), now the city’s feathered mascot. By other accounts, Ascoli was the metropolis of the Piceno, a Latin tribe that controlled much of the coastal marshes and had the woodpecker as its totem. However it came to be, Ascoli offers charming stone streets and piazze that overflow with ancient towers and stately palazzi . As you savor the city’s signature anise-flavored liqueur, anisetta meletti, you will undoubtedly also drink in some of the city’s proud pre-Roman culture.

• Transportation to Ascoli Piceno

The train station is in Ple. della Stazione, at the end of V. Marconi. (Ticket counter open M-F 8am-noon and 3-6pm.) Trains run to San Benedetto (30min., M-Sa 16 per day 5:31am-8pm, €2.50) but require ...more

• Practical Information

From the train station, walk one block to Viale Indipendenza, turn right, and continue straight to Piazza Giacomo Matteotti. Turn right on Corso Giuseppe Mazzini; follow it into Piazza del Popolo. To reach ...more

• Accommodations and Restaurants

The best deal in town is the pleasant  Ostello dei Longobardi (HI) , V. Soderini 26. In an 11th-century building, this quiet hostel offers 16 beds in two single-sex dorms. Ask friendly staffer Luigi ...more

• Sights and Activities

 Pinacoteca Civica. Medieval and Renaissance works by Crivelli, Titian, Van Dyck, and Reni line the walls and frescoes cover the ceilings in the Palazzo Arringo. Check out lifelike Il Pastorello ...more

• Festivals

Insanity reigns during Ascoli’s Carnevale on the days preceding Ash Wednesday. On the first Sunday in August, the Tournament of Quintana honors the city’s patron Saint Emidio; 1500 local enthusiasts ...more