Ascoli Piceno is a vital ancient small city in the south of the Marches . Its first settlers were the Sabini – a branch of the Piceni – and it was later an important Roman city, a Renaissance centre, it was included in the Papal State and in the mid 1800s it finally became part of the kingdom of Italy . Ascoli Piceno has no mass tourism so you can visit it without having to dribble past legions of tourists. Jean Paul Sartre once wrote “A walk through the streets of the old town of Ascoli is like browsing at random a volume of art history and be lucky enough to meet the most representative and expressive illustrations for various periods of Italian art”. The old part of town and the town’s most significant landmarks are built in travertino – a grey-hued marble extracted from the surrounding mountains. The main square – Piazza del Popolo -  is a dazzling public space, with lots of cafés for people watching: it gets especially interesting in the late afternoon stroll when it seems the whole town comes out for a walk, and a chat. Here you can contemplate the magnificent Renaissance Palazzo dei Capitani, the Loggia dei Mercanti and the Church of San Francesco with the two fine cloisters that once belonged to the ancient monastery. An absolute must is also the liberty-style Caffè Meletti which serves the celebrated "anisetta" liqueur. Not a long way from here is Piazza Arringo where the beautiful cathedral dedicated to the city’s  patron saint  majestically stands close to the Town Hall Palace with its Pinacoteca Civica – an outstanding collection of works of art by Crivelli, Titian, and Guido Reni. Tradition has it that Ascoli Piceno was home to more than two hundred towers in the Middle Ages, about fifty of which can still be seen!  The tasty local cuisine combines mountain and sea with specialities that include truffles and fish, although Ascoli Piceno is synonymous with its world-renowned, delicious veal-stuffed fried "ascolana" treats, made with very big, soft olives grown in this part of the country. Last but not least: not to miss is La Quintana  - a spectacular medieval re-enactment held on the first Sunday in August