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ASCOLI
PICENO
Ascoli Piceno
is said to be founded by the Pelasgian king Aesis
in pre Roman age at the end of the Bronze Age. However in
the area have emerged previous archaeological finds and evidences
of human settlements dating back to Paleolithic.
According to Festo the city was instead founded by Sabini
arriveed here during the migrations linked to the Ver Sacrum
celebration (Sacred Spring) guided by a woodpecker, a bird
sacred to Mars.
More realistic it seems the derivation from the root
Aegean-anatolica “as”, that means urban
settlement.
In 299 b.C. Ascoli formed an alliance with
the Roman in the wars against Sanniti and Etruschi and in
268 a.C became part of Roman confederation. During the civil
wars (91 b.C.) commanded the opposition of the rebel
populations to Rome. It was for this besieged by Roman general
Gneo Pompeo Strabone for two years, conquered, and strongly
damaged.
In 49 b.C. Caesar, after the passage on the
Rubicone river, conquered it and gave it the name Picenum.
During the imperial period Ascoli Piceno known a period of
maximum importance and economic and political development.
In the Early Middle Ages known the devastations
by Goths commanded by Totila and by Longobards
commanded by Faroaldo (578), which annexed it to the territory
of the Duke of Spoleto until 789, year of the invasion of
Italy of the French commanded by Charlemagne,
which then left it under the infuence of the Church of Rome.
In 1183 became free Comune and fought
against the imperial troops of Federico II of Svevia. It passed
then under the power of Malatesta, Sforza
in order then to return to the Roman Church until 1860, year
of annexation of the Marches to Reign of Italy.
Of the roman period many monuments very well conserved remain
today: Ponte di Cecco (bridge), Ponte
Augusteo on the Tronto, the rests of the Theatre
and the Amphitheater, Porta Gemina (door),
two temples now annexed to the Churches of San Venanzio and
San Gregorio.
Center of the city is Piazza del Popolo (main
square) on which appear the majority of the most important
monuments of the city: Palazzo dei Capitani del Popolo
with a medieval tower (XIII-XV sec.), the sixteenth-century
Loggia dei Mercanti that stands in front
of the church of San Francesco, the Cathedral
of Sant'Emidio.
Other places of certain cultural interest are the noble palaces:
Palazzo dell'Arengo (XII sec.) and Palazzetto Longobardo (XII
sec. perfectly conserved).
Continuing the visit you'll have to stop to the Fortezza Malatesta
(half of '300), to the Fortezza Pia (built
up and destroyed by Romans, rebuilt and destroyed in the Middle
Ages, reconstructed again by Pope Pio IV), the Ercolani's
Tower (XII-XIII sec.)
In Ascoli the first week of August take place many Medieval
and Renaissance parades concluded with the Giostra
della Quintana.
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