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

The town of  Ripatransone, nestled in the lush and tidy countryside of the Marche region has, always been distinguished for the beauty of its surroundings. Recently, it has also gained recognition for its wine-making and gastronomic excellence, as demonstrated by its being rewarded the Orange Flag of the Touring Club Italiano,  and for the outstanding quality of its DOC (Guarantee of Denomination) locally-produced specialties which are exported throughout all of Italy.

A lovely panorama serves as a backdrop for the vineyards and plowed fields that make this enchanting town unique for its type. Nicknamed the “Belvedere of the Piceno”, from its ancient walls one can admire, turning south on clear days, the massive Gran Sasso mountain of Abruzzo. A bit closer lie the twin mountains, Mount Campli and  Mount Fiori,  which follow the summits of the Parco Nazionale dei Monti della Laga (National Park of the Laga Mountains) and the unmistakable profile of  Monte Vettore in the  Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini (National Park of the Sibillini mountains). Even closer, one can view the peak of Monte dell'Ascensione, which closes off the northern border of the city of Ascoli Piceno. Now, turning north-west, your gaze is drawn towards the promontory of the Conero, which serves as a backdrop to a landscape patterned by hills and valleys leading to the Adriatic Sea. Among the towns situated along the hilltops, with careful attention one can distinguish the Colle del Girifalco (Girifalco Hill), along with  the Cathedral of Fermo.
The town’s Archeological Museum preserves traces of the history of Ripatransone going back to its origins in the Pre-Roman period. Numerous artifacts discovered in a necropolis proved that the area had been inhabited since prehistoric times, with important settlements dating back to the Picena era (during the Iron Age). The town experienced its first great splendor in the VI century B.C.  Roman civilization, and the subsequent barbarian culture, left important traces, especially sculptures.   Around the year 1000, the ancient castles were united into a single urban center, and the commune of Ripatransone  became legally recognized in the year 1205 when it was granted municipal freedom by Adenulfo, the Bishop of Fermo.
Its position in the inland area of the Marche region made Ripatransone an impregnable fortress which, over time, earned it the name of “Bastion of the Piceno Region”. As such, it took on greater importance so that in 1571, it received official status as municipality and  diocesan seat by Pope Pio V.  From this point, the history of Ripatransone is closely tied to pontificate history, a relationship reflected in the large number of churches that were built in the city. Ripatransone finally became independent from papal control in 1860 following the Battle of  Castelfidardo, when it was one of the first cities to defeat the papal army using its own forces.
While strolling through town, one can see proof of its extensive history, like its monuments, and countless streets and lanes named after its heroes and heroines that hint at anecdotes and events of these great leading figures of Ripatransone. In the Roflano neighborhood, for example, there is a street dedicated to Transone, a French commander of the IX century after whom, according to some, the city is named.
For other historians, however, the name, Ripatransone, is tied to its territory and derives from “Ripa trans Asonum”, that is,  “the high hill beyond the Aso river”, when looking from Fermo.

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