Ascoli Piceno is a town and comune in the Marche region of italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population is c. 51,400.

Main sights
The central historical part of the city is built in marble called travertino, a grey-hued stone extracted from the surrounding mountains. Its central Renaissance square, Piazza del Popolo ("Square of the People") is considered one of the most beautiful in italy. According to traditional accounts, Ascoli Piceno was home to more than two hundred towers in the Middle Ages: today some fifty can still be seen.
Main sights include:

• The Cathedral of Sant'Emidio, dedicated to Saint Emygdius, houses an altarpiece by Carlo Crivelli, who lived and worked in and around the city for many years.
• Tempietto di Sant'Emidio alle Grotte
• Tempietto di Sant'Emidio Rosso
• The Gothic-style church of San Francesco (begun in 1258). The dome was completed in 1549. In the side portal is the monument to Pope Julius II, while the central portal is one of the finest examples of local travertine decoration. Annexed to the church is the 16th century Loggia dei Mercanti, in Bramantesque style of the Roman High Renaissance.
• The Romanesque San Vittore (documented from 996) with a low bell tower.
• St. Augustinus (14th century). Built with a single nave, was enlarged with two aisles in the late 15th century. The rectangular façade has a 1547 portal similar to that of St. Emidio. The convent houses the Town's library, the Contemporary Art Gallery and an auditorium.
• The convent of San Domenico, now a school, has a Renaissance cloister with 17th century frescoes.
• St. Peter Martyr (13th century), with a 1523 side portal by Nicola Filotesio, known locally as Cola d'Amatrice. The interior contains the precious reliquary of the Holy Thorn, a gift of Philip IV of France.
• San Tommaso (1069), housing numerous art works and built with parts from the neighboring Roman amphitheater.
• The Franciscan convent, of which two noteworthy cloisters remain today. It was once a prestigious center of culture, whose students included Pope Sixtus V.