Car Hire Ascoli Piceno - Mini guide to Ascoli Piceno

Ascoli Piceno is found in the region of Marche, in the province of the same name. It is located at the meeting of two rivers, the Tronto and Castellano, and is surrounded by national parks and mountains – so the entire region is a picture of natural beauty and one not to be missed if you’re looking for an outdoor relaxing holiday.

Ascoli Piceno was settled several centuries before the Roman road Via Salaria (the road running from Rome to the opposite coast, and the town of Castrum Truentium (now called Porto d’Ascoli) cut through it, back when Ascoli Piceno was known as Asculum. Some portions of the road still exist in the mountains, and the name is taken from the Latin word for salt, as the road was the way the Sabines travelled to get their salt from the marshes at the mouth of the river Tiber.

Attractions include the Piazza del Popolo, or ‘Square of the People’, and the centre of the city, which is built in the marble ‘travertine’, the same marble the Colosseum is built from.

As with many other Italian towns, there are many churches to be seen, some dating back to the first century. Some 50 of the 200-plus towers that are believed to have once existed can also be seen. Saint Emygdius is celebrated with a festival held each year in August. The patron saint of the town is said to have been decapitated on his way to Ascoli Piceno, after refusing to worship the Roman Gods of Apollo and Jupiter. He then stood up, and carried his own head to the location of the current Saint Emidio alla Grotte. After the festival and parade (featuring 1500 people in Renaissance costume) is a tournament called a Quintana.

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