Things to Do in Ascoli Piceno

Things to do in Ascoli Piceno: the best areas

Most of the monuments of Ascoli Piceno are in five areas: Piazza Arringo, Piazza del Popolo, the Ponte di Cecco with Malatesta Fort, the Roman area of Porta Gemina and, outside the city, Colle San Marco.

Piazza Arringo is the oldest square in Ascoli Piceno. Here stands the Cathedral of Sant'Emidio, built between the 11th and 12th centuries and later enlarged, which keeps the relics of the patron saint in its crypt. Next to it is the octagonal Baptistery of San Giovanni, a national monument since 1890. The Palazzo dell'Arengo, the town hall, houses the Civic Art Gallery (civic art gallery), founded in 1861. It displays over 800 works, including Carlo Crivelli's Valle Castellana triptychs and Titian's San Francesco. Its most famous piece is the 13th-century English cope donated in 1288 by Pope Nicholas IV. It was stolen in 1902 and returned to the city thanks to the banker John Pierpont Morgan, who had bought it on the art market.

Piazza del Popolo has been pedestrian and paved in travertine since 1507. It is surrounded by porticoes and overlooked by the Palace of the Captains of the People. The church of San Francesco also faces the square; begun in 1258 and consecrated in 1371, it has the Loggia dei Mercanti (Merchants' Loggia) of 1513 built against it. On the via del Trivio side, next to the church door, are travertine colonnettes shaped like organ pipes. They are hollow and, when struck with the hand, give off different sounds.

Ponte di Cecco and Forte Malatesta. The Roman bridge over the Castellano stream owes its name to a legend: Cecco d'Ascoli is said to have built it in a single night with the devil's help. Above the bridge rises Forte Malatesta. It takes its name from Galeotto Malatesta, who strengthened it in 1349. In 1543 Antonio da Sangallo the Younger rebuilt it in the shape of an irregular star. Since 2014 it has housed the Museo dell'Alto Medioevo (Museum of the Early Middle Ages).

Roman Ascoli. On the western edge of the historic center, Porta Gemina marks the point where the Via Salaria entered the city. It dates from the Augustan age, is made of travertine blocks, and its two arches survive. The Augustan bridge of Borgo Solestà, from the 1st century BC, has an arch more than 22 meters wide.

Colle San Marco. South of the city, near the hamlet of Piagge, the Hermitage of San Marco (13th century), a hermitage, is built against the rock face of the hill. It is reached by a stone staircase that crosses the ravine like a bridge, and the hermitage can also be seen from Piazza del Popolo.

Things to do in Ascoli Piceno: the map of sights

The map gathers the places to visit in the municipality of Ascoli Piceno: churches, museums, gates, fortresses, hermitages and hamlets. Most are in the historic center, enclosed between the Tronto river and the Castellano stream, which are crossed by seven bridges within the city. Many sights are therefore just a few steps from one another.

Outside the center are Colle San Marco and the village of Castel Trosino. Here in 1893, during farm work, a Lombard necropolis was discovered by chance.

Things to do in Ascoli Piceno: how to choose

With just one day, it is best to stay in the historic center. Start at Piazza Arringo, with the Cattedrale di Sant'Emidio, the Battistero di San Giovanni and the Pinacoteca, then move on to Piazza del Popolo. Finish at the Ponte di Cecco and Forte Malatesta. The full route is on the page Ascoli Piceno.

The rest depends on your interests. Archaeology lovers can follow the Salaria from Porta Gemina to the Augustan bridge. For the Early Middle Ages, head to Forte Malatesta, which displays the grave goods from Castel Trosino (6th-8th century).

The time of year matters too. The Quintana, the horseback joust between the city's six sestieri (districts), is run on the second Saturday of July and the first Sunday of August. It is preceded by a historical parade with about 1,500 costumed participants.

The 2016 earthquake made several buildings and churches in the center unsafe. The church of San Giacomo Apostolo, closed after the earthquake, reopened in October 2024. For the Church of Madonna del Ponte, funds for repairs were allocated in 2024. Before visiting the smaller churches, it is worth checking whether they are open. The Eremo di San Marco is usually closed to the public.

Places to stay are listed on the page where to stay in Ascoli Piceno, and restaurants on the page where to eat in Ascoli Piceno.