Ascoli Piceno and the Quintana
Few cities evoke beautiful and lasting emotions as those that dispense Ascoli Piceno.
The compact and well-preserved building structure, the suggestion of squares and streets (small streets), distinctive monuments, towers that dot the urban landscape make Acoli Piceno a “unicum” in the Marche. The “Quintana”, tenzone between knights in a frame of figurants, flag-wavers and beautiful ladies, is the most suitable re-enactment to bring to light the splendor and traditions of the past.
To visit: the Town Hall which incorporates two medieval buildings (the Arringo and the Comune) united in the seventeenth century; the Piazza del Popolo, the famous “living room” of the city, place for strolling and meetings; the numerous elegant medieval palaces.
In August, the square is held The Knightly Palio of Quintana one of the most important manifestations of the city folklore, and a major celebration for the entire population and for tourists who suffer from its particular charm.
La Quintana takes its name from the street of the local Roman camp where they used to take place exercises and military games. The re-enactment of the carousel is held every year on the first Sunday in August (now there is also a July edition), in honor of S. Emidio bishop and martyr, patron of the city. In the current version, six jousting riders representing the six city sestieri are used to conquer the Palio. The tournament is preceded by a majestic historical procession that crosses the ancient streets and squares of Ascoli, decorated with flags and festive decorations; it consists of more than one thousand figures in costumes of the fifteenth century made on the basis of precise iconographic and documentary sources.
The symbol dish of the city is undoubtedly “l’oliva ascolana” stuffed and fried; it is a dish of great refinement, probably of eighteenth-century origin. Fried olives have also crossed national borders. They are just one element of the typical “fritto misto all’ascolana”, which also includes potatoes, creams, zucchini, artichokes, as well as lamb cutlets “with handle”.
