Ascoli Piceno Italy

Piazza Del Popolo


Jewel and pride of the city, superlative public drawing-room, the square is dominated by the striking and imposing architecture of the Palace of the Captains and the Church of San Francesco, delineated by the splendid scenografic view of the harmonicIn opus quasi reticulatum, porticoes. In the course of centuries, the square has played a very important role in Ascoli's history. Situated at the crossroads between the decuman - the present day Corso Mazzini - and the cardo - the present day Via del Trivio - it is the direct heir to ancient Roman Forum. The history of this city has always been centred around this singular and harmonious square.
Rectangular in form, paved in travertine, it owes its layout to the papal governor Raniero de' Ranieri, who arranged, through public spending, the construction all around the square of porticoes with columms and arches with the scope of improving a very bad urbanistic situation, composed of shapeless hovels, small shops and workshops (1507). The elevation of the porticoes was, instead, taken care by the proprietors of the houses, which could not be over one floor in height and had to all exhibit the same type of Renaissance lunette windows.
If the political desire of reorganisation is unanimously attributed to de' Ranieri, the projection and realisation seems to be attributed to the Lombard master Pietro da Carona, at the time working in Ascoli. The Gibelline battlements which overlook the façade are of the following era.
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