Marche · Ascoli Piceno
Ascoli Piceno
The travertine city where the Tronto meets the Castellano, capital of the Piceni and host of the Quintana joust.
Picked by Peter Benei
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Why Ascoli Piceno is on our list
It holds Città dell'Olio and Città della Ceramica.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 11 min from Pescara
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 45,277
- J12°
- F14°
- M15°
- A18°
- M23°
- J28°
- J32°
- A31°
- S27°
- O22°
- N16°
- D13°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Ascoli Piceno sits at the confluence of the Tronto and the Castellano, the historic capital of the Piceni who held this part of the Marche before Rome. The town is built almost entirely from local travertine, which gives the centro storico its luminous pale surface and its mirror behavior under rain: Piazza del Popolo, paved in polished travertine slabs, is one of the most photographed squares in Italy. In 91 BC the Ascolani killed the Roman envoys in their theatre and triggered the Social War; the city fell to Rome in 89 BC after a long siege and the present grid still follows the Roman layout.
The Quintana, run in costume in July and August, is a joust between the six sestieri, the city districts, the knight on horseback charging an effigy of an Arab warrior. Anisetta Meletti, the local aniseed liqueur perfected by Silvio Meletti in 1870, is poured at the Caffè Meletti on the piazza.
How to get there
From Ancona (AOI), about 1 h 32 min by car.
Rimini (RMI) is about 2 h 36 min away.
By car from the center of Pescara 1 h 11 min or Ancona 1 h 28 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming by train into Pescara Centrale? Ascoli Piceno is about 1 h 9 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Ancona airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Piazza del Popolo
Paved in polished travertine slabs and lined by Renaissance porticoes, the Palazzo dei Capitani and the Loggia dei Mercanti, one of the most photographed squares in Italy.
Chiesa di San Francesco
Gothic basilica begun in 1258, three travertine portals, two bell-towers, the most representative building of the Franciscan order in the Marche.
Cattedrale di Sant'Emidio
Cathedral on Piazza Arringo, with an eleventh-century crypt holding the relics of Sant'Emidio, patron saint invoked against earthquakes.
Quintana
Costumed joust held in July and August, the six sestieri compete in archery and a charge against an Arab effigy, observed across the medieval streets.
Pinacoteca Civica
Civic gallery in the Palazzo dell'Arengo, with works by Carlo Crivelli, Tiziano, Pietro Alemanno and Cola dell'Amatrice.
From the guides
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Caffè MelettiCaffè
Caffè Meletti has a place on Italy's historic-locali register and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
TetsuGiapponese
Tetsu holds two Gambero Rosso Mappamondi.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Ascoli Piceno is a city.
- A city of 45,277 people, and a provincial capital: the services are here, not a drive away.
- A station of its own, so the rest of Italy is a train ride away.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 45,277, down 8.6% since 2015
- Train station in the comune
- A national health service hospital in the comune · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €1,300 to €1,900 per m² to buy, €5.80 to €8.80 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- A local hub
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 92% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Pescara airport (PSR), 1 h 23 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Ancona, 1 h 28 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
7% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Albania and the Philippines, against 9% across Italy. 52 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. There are 318 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 23% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Ascoli Piceno province ranks 22nd of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
There is an emergency room in the comune. The nearest major one is in Terni, 80 km away. The nearest IB school is Viterbo International School, 129 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Marche International School, 56 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Working from here
Poste Italiane has finished a coworking room in the comune, on its register of 30 September 2026. Check that it is open on Poste's booking site before you count on it.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.14% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax, with nothing due on income under €8,500. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Marche spends about €2,480 a month, €620 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €643 a year for water, on the Marche average. In Ascoli Piceno, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.28, a meal in a pizzeria €11.39 and a man's haircut €18.98.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone D, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 1 to April 15, up to 12 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 2% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 3% in a high or medium one. Under 1% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
TRAVERTINE
The entire centro storico is built from local travertine, polished pale under rain and lit gold at sunset, an inheritance from Roman quarrying.
QUINTANA
Costumed joust between the six sestieri, run twice a year, in July and on the first Sunday of August.
OLIVE ASCOLANA
Stuffed and fried green olive of the Ascolana tenera cultivar, the city's culinary signature, made to a DOP protocol since 2005.
Common questions
- What is Ascoli Piceno known for?
- Ascoli Piceno is the travertine city at 154 meters where the Tronto meets the Castellano, capital of the Piceni and host of the Quintana joust.
- Where is Ascoli Piceno?
- Ascoli Piceno is a comune in the province of Ascoli Piceno, in Marche.
- What is the nearest airport to Ascoli Piceno?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Pescara (PSR), about 1 h 23 min by car.
- Can you get to Ascoli Piceno without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Pescara to Ascoli Piceno?
- About 1 h 11 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Ascoli Piceno?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Ascoli Piceno?
- Alba, Gorizia and Pontedera.
- How many people live in Ascoli Piceno?
- 45,277 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Ascoli Piceno a good place to live?
- Ascoli Piceno is a city of 45,277 people, the kind of place Part 3 of our Where to Move in Italy series is about. There is a national health service hospital in the comune. Full fibre reaches 92% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
The numbers
- Elevation: 154 m
- Population: 45,277
- Surface area: 158.02 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Ascoli Piceno appears in
- The best hill towns in the province of Ascoli PicenoAscoli Piceno provincehill town6 towns · smallest 1,927 residents
- The best olive oil towns that eat well within 90 minutes of PescaraNear Pescaraolive oilwithin 90 mineats well6 towns · smallest 4,169 residents · closest 25 min away
- The 8 best hill towns that eat well within 90 minutes of PescaraNear Pescarahill townwithin 90 mineats well8 towns · smallest 4,169 residents · closest 25 min away
- The best olive oil towns in MarcheMarcheolive oil8 towns · smallest 2,503 residents
- The best towns with a serious restaurant that you can reach by train within 90 minutes of PescaraNear Pescaraby trainwithin 90 minserious restaurant8 towns · smallest 13,275 residents · closest 26 min away
- The best hill towns with a serious restaurant in MarcheMarchehill townserious restaurant10 towns · smallest 4,162 residents
Similar
Towns like Ascoli Piceno
What all six share with Ascoli Piceno: inland, away from the coast · over 10,000 people · near sea level · have a railway station in the comune
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