AROUND TWO TOWNS

Meet your private guide and driver at your accommodation and set off to discover two delightful towns in southern Le Marche.

Dressed in marble and embraced by the rivers Tronto and Castellano, Ascoli Piceno sits seductively in a valley, between the Sibillini and Gran Sasso mountains and the Adriatic Sea, near the border of Abruzzo. If you believe the local legend, a mythical woodpecker prompted the Italic Sabini tribe to build a settlement on this auspicious site some time between the 8th and 6th centuries BC. The town as we know it today dates back to the Romans and evidence of their influence can still be perceived. Ascoli’s urban layout, structured in a regular network of alleys, follows the Roman grid-patterned roads, while remains of ancient foundation walls, buried deep beneath its buildings, still silently support the town from their underground hiding place. Due to its strategic position along the ancient Via Salaria, the salt road that connected the Caput Mundi to the Adriatic coast, Ascoli rose to become an important trade centre. However it was only centuries later, in the Middle Ages, that the town prospered and enjoyed its golden age. A booming economy resulted in rapid building development and a series of tower-houses, erected by ambitious families wishing to make a show of their wealth, sprouted across the city. Approximately two hundred towers dominated the skyline at the peak of Ascoli’s splendour before Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, who considered this display of power as a threat to his rule, ordered them to be torn down.

Dotted with charming palazzi and crossed by a maze of cobbled streets, Ascoli Piceno’s centro storico is a pure medieval joy and a highlight of any art lover’s trip to Le Marche. Foodies too are in for a treat here. Ascoli is indeed the birthplace of delicious olive all’ascolana (fried olives stuffed with meat) and wherever you are in town you’re never far from a tempting takeaway or trendy bar.

Your tour begins in Piazza Arringo where you will visit the Cathedral of Sant’Emidio, home to a 1473 polyptych by Renaissance painter Carlo Crivelli, and the Baptistery of Saint John, a splendid example of central Italian Romanesque architecture. Just a few steps away you will admire the perfectly proportioned, postcard-pretty Piazza del Popolo, the pride and beating heart of the town. Here your guide will point out the imposing Palazzo dei Capitani del Popolo, with its distinctive clock tower, and the elegant buildings that together make up one of the finest corners of Le Marche: the arcades of the Loggia dei Mercanti, the Gothic Church of San Francesco and the historic Liberty-style Caffè Meletti. Next, make your way through the olde worlde streets of the medieval district of San Giacomo, right up to the banks of the River Tronto, where your exploration of Ascoli Piceno will conclude with a look at the ancient Roman bridge – still amazingly intact.

After some free time for lunch a 30-minute drive will bring you to Offida, boasting one of the best-preserved historic centres in the area. A mystical, sacred aura pervades its streets which are punctuated with a remarkable number of churches for such a tiny town. The monument to the lace makers, just outside the old walls, welcomes visitors to Offida and stands as a tribute to the local tradition of bobbin lace, practised here for some six hundred years. This is one of the very few places in Italy where women can still be seen seated outside their front doors working intently on the creation of intricate designs with their threads, pins and needles.

Follow your guide along Corso Serpente Aureo and reach the main square of Piazza del Popolo. Here you will see the town hall, decked with arcades and crenellations, and the Collegiata Church housing a reproduction of the Grotto of Lourdes. But the centrepiece is undoubtedly the 14th century Church of Santa Maria della Rocca, clinging to a rocky spur, overlooking a precipice at the edge of the town. Step inside to get a close look at the precious medieval frescoes that decorate its walls, evidence of the prime role once occupied by Offida as a thriving cultural, artistic and spiritual hub.

To get a true taste of the town don’t forget to drop in at a local enoteca and request a glass of the local DOCG designated Offida wine.

In the afternoon your private chauffeur will drive you back to your accommodation.