Stop into the tourist office in Piazza Arringo for a map; a decent guidebook is available, translated into passable English at a cost of 5 Euro. Take a look around the large room while you're there as they have some artifacts and examples of local crafts on display.

In the very heart of the city lies one of Italy's most beautiful piazzas, the Piazza del Popolo. Renaissance reconstructions brought it to its current state of beauty, equally dazzling in the sunlight and moonlight, as each plays differently upon the smooth, shiny travertine and the colonnades. Neatly ordered and enclosed by the surrounding buildings, it is the town's greatest gathering spot. The impressive Palazzo dei Capitani dominates the piazza's west end and frequently houses art exhibits or special civic events. The three-story inner courtyard of loggias is lovely. Next to the main entrance to the right is a door leading to the Roman ruins below. The church of San Francesco and its high bell towers form the northern end of the piazza.

City of Travertine

The milk-and-honey appearance of the architecture throughout the city comes from the extensive use of travertine, utilized from the time of the Romans right on through today, in the construction of everything from humble homes to magnificent churches. Drawn from quarries in the nearby Sibillini mountains, the durable stone was cut into blocks, carved into columns, and fashioned into fanciful designs to decorate the city's public buildings and private palaces. Keep your eyes open for the myriad ornamental details scattered throughout the centro; they give glamour to even the most mundane building.

During her heyday Ascoli boasted more than 200 towers. Now it lays claim to about fifty, but many are difficult to distinguish as they have been reduced down or incorporated into other buildings. Some have been turned into church towers; others have been reborn as apartment buildings. It is fun to stroll around town and locate some of these hidden monuments of past prosperity. Most are "happened upon" and are to be found lurking in the backstreets. None of the intriguing towers are open to the public, unfortunately. For pretty views of the more prominent towers, cross the Ponte Augusteo to the borgo Solesta where you'll have a nice vantage point. You can also see the antique lavatoio (wash basin) here, but watch your step! Another good perspective is found below the Porta Tufilla.

Wonderful Walks

At the confluence of two rivers, the city is mostly flat, facilitating easy walking. Ascoli Piceno's centro storico retains much of the original Roman grid layout making it fairly easy to find one's way around, but has enough influence from the Middle Ages to offer a lot of intriguing, narrow streets called rue to delightfully wander. After you've seen the washbasin in Solesta, retrace your steps across the bridge and then turn right under the arch. The meandering streets in this part of town are particularly pretty and provide glimpses of courtyards and walled gardens among the travertine homes. You'll find forgotten churches secreted away, too. Via delle Stelle, via Soderini, via del Sotto and the myriad narrow passageways connecting them are all fantastic to explore. As you meander around town be on the lookout for shrines attached to the buildings (known as edicole), and also for the "talking walls" - stone inscriptions carved above doorways that became a hallmark fad during Ascoli's period of medieval grandeur. There are more than 100 such Latin proverbs perched around town.