Province of Ascoli Piceno

The landscape of the province of Ascoli Piceno is particularly varied: it goes from the Sibillini mountains – where we find the cave in which the prophetess “Sybille” (hence the name “Monti Sibillini”) is said to have lived, to the lake where Pontius Pilate disappeared, dragged by buffaloes (hence the name “Lake of Pilate, situated on Monte Vettore) – runs along the hills with their medieval villages, to reach the beaches, characterised by fine golden sand, which slope gently down to the sea and are distinguished by shallow waters which each year have been awarded the European Blue Flag. Among the various festivals and historic events we should mention the Quintana Tournament, which takes us back to the chivalrous times of the Middle Ages and takes place at the beginning of August every year in Ascoli Piceno; the participants, dressed in opulent and faithful period costumes, process along the ancient “rue” to reach the field where the tournament takes place. One of the most important resources from this stretch of coast is the fish, to which we can add the extra-virgin olive oil, wines and typical dishes, among which the “Brodetto alla Sanbenedettese” (fish broth) and the famous “Ascoli olives” (deep-fried olives coated with egg and breadcrumbs). Ascoli Piceno was a frontier land which acted as a meeting point for different cultures and populations and today the province fascinates tourists with the variety of its natural settings – sea, mountains, hills and valleys – offering the opportunity to discover an enchanting landscape which is the expression of a people which has succeeded in conserving a utopian way of life, elsewhere perhaps lost.