Things to do in Ascoli Piceno
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Caffè Meletti
From the shade of the ancient portico you can sip a coffee or the famous anisette as you gaze onto the perfect Italian piazza. Or sit inside to enjoy the statuesque carved wood stairway and bar. It was once a popular spot for the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Jean-Paul Sartre. The cafe, founded in 1907, fell into disrepair but has since been completely restored to its former glory.
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Duomo
On the eastern flank of Piazza Arringo, Ascoli’s Duomo was built in the 15th century over a medieval building and dedicated to St Emidio, patron saint of the city. In the Cappella del Sacramento is what is considered by critics to be Carlo Crivelli’s best work, the Polittico, a polyptych executed in 1473. The crypt of Sant Emidio has a set of mosaics any ceramicist will appreciate, but be sure to look through the locked gates at the ancient tunnels.
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Pinacoteca
The second-largest art gallery in Le Marche is inside the 17th-century Palazzo Comunale. The Pinacoteca boasts an outstanding display of art, sculpture and religious artefacts, 400 works in total, including paintings by Van Dyck, Titian and Rembrandt, and a stunning embroidered 13th-century papal cape worn by Ascoli-born Pope Nicholas IV. The gallery was founded in 1861 with works taken from churches and religious orders that were suppressed in the wake of Italian unification.
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D
Chiesa di San Francesco
The beautiful Chiesa di San Francesco was started back in 1262 as a homage to a visit from St Francis himself. In the left nave is a 15th-century wooden cross that miraculously made it through a 1535 fire at the Palazzo dei Capitani, and has since reputedly spilled blood twice. Virtually annexed to the church is Loggia dei Mercanti, built in the 16th century by the powerful guild of wool merchants, to hide their rough-and-tumble artisan shops.
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Chiesa di San Pietro Martire
On Via delle Donne (Street of Women) is the 14th-century Chiesa di San Pietro Martire, dedicated to the saint who founded the Dominican community at Ascoli. The chunky Gothic structure houses the Reliquario della Santa Spina, containing what is said to be a thorn from Christ’s crown.
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F
Rua dei Notari
Perfect for a special meal, this elegant restaurant possesses old-world charm in a modern setting. Dishes present as artfully as the contemporary paintings covering the walls. There are meat and pasta dishes as well as starters, including fried goods from Ascoli and pecorino with local honey (€8).
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Cafe Lorenz
Head upstairs for a convivial drink (drinks and wine €2 to €5) or a light dinner. But the main reason to come here again and again: Lorenz sells takeaway olive all’ascolana (olives from Ascoli) for €3.
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H
Gallo d’Oro
A bit outside the tourist area and popular with long-time Ascoli residents, this business-casual restaurant has been serving up local fare for decades. Try the appetiser selection of fried goodies.
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Museo Archeologico
The Museo Archeologico holds a small collection of tribal artefacts from Piceni and other European people back to the first centuries AD.
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Tigre
The most central of Ascoli’s supermarkets, this location has a deli and a good wine selection.
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