L'Usignolo B&B in Ascoli Piceno

L'Usignolo: location

The house is on Via Loreto, within the municipality of Ascoli Piceno.

L'Usignolo: services

The property is a B&B registered with the municipality, with two guest rooms.

L'Usignolo: what to see nearby

In the Porta Maggiore area, just outside the historic center, the Ponte di Cecco spans the Castellano stream: built in the 1st century BC with large travertine blocks, it is 43 meters long and has two asymmetrical arches. Blown up in 1944, it was rebuilt with the original material. Connected to the bridge is Malatesta Fort, a 14th-century fortress later turned into a papal garrison to a design by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and used as a prison from 1828 to 1978; today it houses the Museo dell'Alto Medioevo (Museum of the Early Middle Ages).

In the center, next to the Great Cloister of San Francesco, the Sala Cola dell'Amatrice occupies the east wing of the former convent. Over time it has been the chapter house, the oratory of Corpus Domini, the armory of the barracks and finally the municipal fish market. Cola dell'Amatrice had frescoed its walls with episodes from the Old Testament, including the stories of King Nebuchadnezzar, which were later forgotten when the ceiling was lowered: in 1872 Giulio Cantalamessa recognized their value and suggested detaching them. Once restored, the five frescoes returned to the hall and have been on public view since March 2012.