Piazza del Popolo, Ascoli Piceno

The Italian Catholic Diocese of Ascoli Piceno (Latin: Dioecesis Asculanus in Piceno) in the Marche, has existed since the fourth century. Historically immediately dependent on the Holy See, it is now a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Fermo. There is, in 2015, one priest for every 1,074 Catholics.

The province of Ascoli Piceno (Italian: Provincia di Ascoli Piceno) is a province in the Marche region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Ascoli Piceno, and the province is bordered by the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Province of Fermo to the north, and it faces the regions of Umbria and Abruzzo (Abruzzi) to the south. There are 33 comuni in the province, see Comunes of the Province of Ascoli Piceno.The first settlers of the province were located on the banks of River Tronto by the Picentes tribe. It was later conquered by the Romans and became known as Asculum Picenum by 268 BCE. From 91-88 BCE the Picentes revolted against the Romans and attempted to re-claim the land, but Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo besieged and sacked the city. The town of Ascoli Piceno managed to revive, but after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, it was conquered many times. King of the Ostrogoths Totila invaded the town in 545. Ascoli Piceno was then under strong control from the church and was made free in 1185, but the bishop declared it under his control in 1212.

The Ascoli Piceno Baptistery (Italian: Il battistero di San Giovanni di Ascoli Piceno), also known as the baptistery of Saint John, is a religious building found on the eastern end of the piazza Arringo at the center of Ascoli Piceno and sitting next to and just north of the cathedral dedicated to St. Emygdius, the city's patron saint. The structure, simple and austere in its architectural form, perfectly represents the Romanesque style in Ascoli, and, being ranked among the best examples of Italian works of art, is included in the list of Italian national monuments (r.d. n.7033 del 20/07/1890).

The Ventidio Basso Theater is the communal theater, concert hall, and opera house in the city of Ascoli Piceno region of Marche, Italy. It is located on via del Trivio, in front main cloister of the church of San Francesco, near piazza del Popolo. The exterior was erected in neoclassical-style, with grand interiors.

Palazzo dell'Arengo is a monumental palace located on Piazza Arringo, also called Piazza dell'Arengo (Square of the People's Assembly), in the town-center of Ascoli Piceno, Marche, central Italy. The facades of the Duomo of Ascoli Piceno, the Baptistry of San Giovanni Battista, and the Episcopal palace also face the square, which is now decorated with two oval fountains.

The Piazza Arringo, also known as the piazza dell'Arengo, is the oldest monumental piazza in the city of Ascoli Piceno. Rectangular in form, numerous important monuments face the piazza including: the palazzo Fonzi, the palazzo dell'Arengo from the 13th century (also known as the palatium Aringhi), the Bishop's residence, the Cathedral of Saint Emygdius, the baptistery of Saint John, the diocesan museum, and the palazzo Panichi.

The Diocesan Museum in the Italian town of Ascoli Piceno is located in one wing of the ecclesiastical palazzo, which also contains the city's pinacoteca and the state archeological museum. Created with the aim of reuniting and preserving as much of the artistic patrimony of the diocese of Ascoli-Piceno as possible, the museum was opened in 1961 by bishop Marcello Morgante. The space consists of seven areas that house wooden and stone sculpture, paintings on canvas and wood, silver and sacred vestments made by the minor schools of the city that had a notable growth in the 1400s. There is also notable Florentine art of the 16th century. Many of the objects come directly from the city of Ascoli, while others were recovered from elsewhere in the diocesan territory. As a whole, the collection includes works from the 13th century to the present day.

Ascoli Piceno Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Ascoli Piceno; Cattedrale di Sant'Emidio) is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint Emygdius in Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Italy. It is the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Ascoli Piceno.

San Pietro Martire is a Gothic-style, Roman Catholic Basilica church located at piazzetta at the intersection of Via delle Torrei, Soderini, and Solestà in the town of Ascoli Piceno in the region of Marche, Italy.

San Tommaso Apostolo is a Romanesque and Gothic-style, Roman Catholic church located in the town of Ascoli Piceno in the region of Marche, Italy.

Sant'Emidio alle Grotte is a Baroque church in Ascoli Piceno, Italy.Its name refers to Saint Emygdius (Emidius). According to legend, after having been beheaded in 309 near the current church of Sant'Emidio Rosso, the saint walked here with his head in his hands to be buried. The church (known as tempietto, meaning "small temple", for its small size) was built in 1717–1720/21 by commission of bishop Giovanni Gambi, a relative of Pope Clement XI. It consists of a travertine façade which precedes three grottoes housing the saint's sepulture, which have been turned into oratories.

The Battle of Ascurum was a battle in 46 BC during Caesar’s Civil War which saw the defeat of a force under Pompey the Younger in battle against the Mauretanians. In 49 BC, a civil war broke out within the Roman Republic between Julius Caesar and the senate, which was led by Pompey the Great. The Kingdom of Mauretania decided to support Julius Caesar in this struggle, probably because their rivals Numidia supported Pompey. When an anti-Caesarian rebellion broke out in Spain, Bogud of Mauretania intervened and helped put down the rebellion. The Mauretanians seemed to have picked the right side as the war swung in the favour of Julius Caesar following the Battle of Pharsalus and Pompey the Great’s murder in Egypt. The remaining Pompeians fled to North Africa and set up at Utica. There, Cato chastised Pompey's son, stating how his father had achieved much more at his age. This convinced Younger Pompey to go on a campaign of his own and he decided to attack Mauretania to neutralise what was a potential threat.With a small force numbering around 2,000 Pompey landed on the Mauretanian coast and approached the town of Ascurum. The garrison of the town let Pompey approach very close until he was right outside the walls before launching a sudden sally. The surprised Pompeians, possibly outnumbered by the garrison whose size is unknown, were quickly broken and fled back to their ships. Full of shame, Pompey did not return to Utica but instead fled to the Balearic Islands.This attack spurred the Mauretanians into action, and with the help of the mercenary Publius Sittius they invaded and seized much of Numidia. Following Caesar’s invasion of Africa and victory at the Battle of Thapsus, many Pompeians fled westward, only to find their escape blocked by the Mauretanians, with many captured and killed and others committing suicide. Pompey the Younger, still in the Balearics, would later go to Spain and meet with the remaining anti-Caesarians. They launched a final rebellion against Caesar which was put down at the Battle of Munda where the younger Pompey was killed.