Palazzo Guiderocchi Hotel

Ascoli Piceno, Italy

Ascoli Piceno, considered the jewel of the Marche region, is one of the friendliest and lovely towns in central Italy. Ascoli Piceno is an almost perfectly conserved medieval town. The buildings are ancient, and many roads are narrow, winding, cobblestoned paths. This sets the theme for most of the surrounding villages- they are all incredibly charmingly ancient and authentic, unspoiled by tourism and past centuries and, in some cases, millennia. It's like people living in big living monuments of the past, and making it look as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Maybe you cannot find this anywhere else in the world; even the French are much quicker mingling old with new. Visit the city's several monuments (for instance the Gothic-style church of St. Francis, The Palazzo dei Capitani del Popolo -Palace of the People's Captains-, the Duomo (The Cathedral of Sant'Emidio), the countless shops, or dine in one of the many restaurants, not to mention admire the beauty of the city's medieval architecture, the famous Renaissance town square Piazza del Popolo ("Square of the People") with the travertine marble floor, and appreciate it's unique position - surrounded by mountains on three sides with 2 rivers flowing through it (the Castellano and Tronto rivers). The closest beaches, Porto Ascoli and San Benedetto, are exactly 25-30 minutes from Ascoli Piceno. About 20 minutes further inland you find Aquasanta Terme where the thermal hot water spa is. This town also serves as one of the entry points into the Monte Sibillini National Park and if you are into walking there are some fantastic waterfalls during springtime. Skiing near Grand Sasso in wintertime or drive out to Spoleto and Amandola, foraged for fresh truffles and mushrooms etc...