City, capital of Ascoli Piceno provincia, Marche regione, central Italy. Ascoli Piceno lies at the confluence of the Tronto and Castellano rivers. The ancient centre of the Picenes (early inhabitants of the Adriatic coast), it was conquered in the 3rd century BC by the Romans, who knew it as Asculum Picenum. After 1006 the city was ruled by its bishops and successive feudatories until it placed itself under papal protection in 1504.
Extensive Roman remains include parts of the city wall, two bridges, and the ruins of a theatre, an amphitheatre, and a temple of Vesta. Notable medieval landmarks include the magnificent Church of San Francesco (begun 1262); the 7th-century cathedral, enlarged between 1481 and 1592; and, in the Piazza Arringo, the 13th-century Palazzo Comunale, formed by the union of two palaces, and now housing an art gallery. The 13th-century Palazzo del Popolo has become the civic museum. Walls and towers from the medieval fortifications still stand. Ascoli Piceno's chief industries are agricultural, but there are also chemical, textile, and electrical works. Pop. (1993 est.) mun., 53,210.
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