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Home > Travel Italy > Italy Destinations > Ascoli Piceno
Ascoli Piceno
Italy, officially the Italian Republic or Repubblica Italiana, is a Southern European country comprising of the Po River valley, the Italian Peninsula and the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. It is shaped like a boot and for this reason Italians commonly call it lo Stivale, the boot or, due to its prevalent peninsular geographical nature, la Penisola, the Peninsula.
Ascoli was founded by an Italic population, Sabini, several centuries before Rome on the important Via Salaria which connected Latium with the salt production area on the Adriatic coast. In 268 BC it became a civitas foederata, with nominal Independence from Rome. In 91 BC it revolted against Rome together with other cities in central Italy but in 89 BC it was conquered and destroyed by Pompeius Strabo.
Ascoli Piceno is a town in the Marche region, Italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population, according to the 2001 census, is 50,135 inhabitants. The main festivity is on the first Sunday in August. The historical parade with more than 900 people dressed in Renaissance costume is held in celebration of Saint Emidio, protector of the city. The parade is followed by a tournament, called Quintana, in which six knights, each one competing for one of the six neighborhoods in the city, ride the course one after the other trying to hit an effigy of an Arab warrior. Strength and ability are necessary for the knight to win the palio or the grand prize.
The town lays at the confluence of Tronto River with Castellano Creek and is surrounded on three sides by mountains. Two natural parks are located on the north-western flank and on the south. Ascoli is well connected by railway to the Adriatic coast and the city of San Benedetto del Tronto and by highway to Rome and Porto d'Ascoli. The central historical part of the city is built in marble called travertino, a grey hued stoned extracted from the surrounding mountains.
A city known for its historic myths and traditions, scenic beauty, cooperative people and luxurious hotels and cottages, Ascoli Piceno is one of the favorite holiday destinations for most of the vacation lovers.
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