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Need to Know…the little details.
There are some things you will need to know that will make visiting Ascoli Piceno a more pleasant experience. These are the types of things that an Italian might take for granted and that a guidebook will not tell you, because they do not live here.
The first thing to know about Ascoli Piceno is that it is a beautiful place but as of yet relatively unknown to outsiders. This is one of the city’s charms but if you are used to the tourist centered areas of Tuscany and Sicily you may need to make some adjustments to enjoy your time in Ascoli Piceno as life in Italy was meant to be.
The afternoon siesta is alive and well in Ascoli Piceno. This means that most of the stores, offices and museums in town close between 1PM and 4PM everyday, but are open until 8PM at night. Grocery stores also close on Thursday afternoons and all day Sunday. Many restaurants and coffee bars are also closed on Sundays. If a business is open on Sunday they will probably be closed on another day during the week, usually Monday. Holidays are treated like a Sunday with many stores restaurants and coffee bars being closed. 
There are no tourist gift shops. The closest you will find are the tabaccheria that will have postcards for sale. This is also where you can purchase stamps for your postcard which cost €.85 to the United States.
There are a couple things you can take with you from Ascoli Piceno besides your photographs and memories, be sure to check out one of the several ceramic shops in town called majiorca. These shops are carrying on a tradition that goes back many centuries here and they have an assortment of ceramics that are both utilitarian as well as simply beautiful to look at. There are ceramic shops in Ascoli Piceno and most you will not find until you are upon the door but as you wander the streets you will be sure to happen upon one of these.
There are also the wonderful local wines and of course the liquor Anisette which Caffe Meletti is famous for.
In many areas of Italy when you go into a bar for a caffe’ you must pay before getting your beverage but here in Ascoli Piceno things are much less formal, should order your drink first and then pay before you leave. In some of restaurants you will not be given a bill at your table but simply walk up to the register located at the coffee bar or by the door to pay. Many times you will simply tell them what you had and they will give you a receipt with a total, no itemization. Again things are much less formal in this area.
The city has installed several surveillance cameras around the historic center in an attempt to reduce vandalism (mostly graffiti). There are cameras in the main piazzas and in the areas around them. Just so you know that they may be watching. 
This page was last modified on 27 December 2008 17:40:43 |
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