Travelcast Piceno - Audio & Video Guide per la Provincia di Ascoli Piceno

 

In the MiddleAges, the area between Castel Leone and Marrubbione was called Platea Vallelunga and eventually became the center of village life. In this area, new religious and civic structures would be built close to the gateway of the town. Today, the  ancient Vallelunga has taken the name “Piazza Risorgimento” and constitutes the main entrance to Amandola by both private and public means of transportation.

The way the piazza looks now reflects how it was reorganized at the end of the 19th century. At that time, a radically different concept of the space was necessary to make way for the new council building, near the church of Sant’Agostino.
To improve the space, the new public structure was moved. The gothic style door of San Giacomo was removed in 1836 and rebuilt with the same materials in 1863. It takes its name from the church. The clock, built into the upper portion, was in ancient times positioned on the tower of the church of Sant’Agostino.  The building, now fully integrated into the square, has an entrance which can be found at the center of the spacious loggia.
On the penultimate Sunday of August, Piazza Risorgimento is crowded with people who watch a religious procession, which proceeds to the front of the church of Sant’Agostino. In honor of Blessed Anthony, the protector of Amandola since the Middle Ages, men and women in traditional dress offer the fruits of agricultural labor. The men carry straw bundled into sheaves, while the women balance baskets filled with grain on their heads. These traditional baskets provide the feast day with its name: Canestrelle. On this occasion, the entire square becomes an exhibition space for the work of artisans and for the various products of traditional labor in this territory. Between the end of August and the beginning of September, the square becomes the scene for the events of the theater festival called “Ars Amando”, that since 2007 has reached an international level of attention.
On the higher parts of Piazza Risorgimento, it is possible to make out the many traces of ancient architecture represented in this area. From here one can observe all of Via Indipendenza, the street which crosses the entirety of the historic center and unifies the more evocative points of this ancient town.