One of the many local events worth a visit is the festival of Saint Emidio (the protector of the city) on the first Sunday in August. More than 1500 local people dress in renaissance costumes and parade through the town, and this is followed by a kind of joust or tournament, called the Quintana.

Six knights on horseback, each representing a neighbourhood of the city, ride through a prepared course trying to hit an effigy of an Arab warrior! It is a very exciting spectacle.

It is also a great treat to swim with the locals in the smaller of the two rivers in the summer. There is a natural shallow pool, perfect for children, and waterfalls you can jump from into the clean, sparkling blue water. The town is also home to a very successful football team, Ascoli Picchio. This name refers to the Italian for a woodpecker (which also appears on the Ascoli flag) as this was the sacred bird for the original inhabitants, the Piceni.

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Website: www.piceni.tv

Video: Quintana di Ascoli Piceo 2016

Video: Ascoli Piceno - Cittá delle 100 Torri

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