Near the east coast of Central Italy in the Marche region lies the charming quintessential Italian city of Ascoli Piceno. This city has a lovely small town feel to it that starts with a warm and welcoming people and trickles all the way down to the personalized love and care that is put into every delicious dish that makes its way to the dinner table. When dining in Ascoli Piceno, pull up a chair to the table and be ready to partake in the pride of the city, a traditional homegrown and homemade Italian fare that will leave your taste buds happy and your appetite greatly satisfied.

Agriculture is a very important industry to the city of Ascoli Piceno since much of the local fare relies heavily on fresh produce. The foods most often grown and found in the area includes olives, truffles, capers, onions, anise, fennel, and garlic. Herbs and spices grown here are key in flavoring traditional dishes, and in some cases, they become the star of the show. An anise flavored sugary cake that is a popular specialty dessert is a perfect example of how the people often use locally grown ingredients to make Ascoli Piceno’s dishes really shine.

APPETIZERS

The most representative appetizer of local Ascoli Piceno fare is widely known to be olive all’ascolana. The green olives grown in the area are the main ingredient for this frequently ordered finger food. This appetizer is just as savory as it is traditional, with homegrown green olives generously stuffed with ground meat and then fried. Be forewarned, when enjoying olive all’ascolana it is thought to be almost impossible to eat only a few of these delicious olives.

Although chichi ripieno is a type of flatbread known to have origins in Offida, a town in the province of Ascoli Piceno, it is often served within the city of Ascoli Piceno as well. This bread is a traditional fare that is quite unique in its use of ingredients, which typically include anchovies, tuna, artichokes, and pickled peppers. While its makeup may sound somewhat unconventional to some, it is a much-loved appetizer in this area.

Appetizers in Ascoli Piceno often feature cured meats and local cheeses. One popular cured meat native to the area is ciasculo, which is a type of spreadable salame seasoned with black pepper.

Another special appetizer favored by locals consists of sage leaves that are dipped into a batter and fried.

FIRST COURSE

One of the unique dishes of the Marche region and in particular of the Ascoli Piceno area is brodetto alla Sambenedettese. The dish is a stew, sometimes called a soup, and typically features fish, tomatoes, peppers, and vinegar. From city to city in this area of Italy, and even from province to province in Marche, brodetto alla Sambenedettese’s ingredients will likely change depending on the family recipe being used.

Maccheroni di campofilone is one of the most popular pasta dishes in the city and surrounding areas. The secret of the richness of this pasta is said to be the result of using twice as many eggs as used in regular pasta. The dough is rolled out extremely thin before it is cut with a knife yielding very fine and long pieces of pasta. This pasta dish is said to be so fabulous it can easily be eaten by itself. However, it is not uncommon for it to also be served in broth and with meat.

While maccheroni di campofilone is one of the most loved pasta dishes in the city, a number of savory and rich pasta dishes with a base of tagliatelle and ravioli are generally on the menu as well. Sauces can range from a simple tomato sauce to sauces made with pork, seafood, and vegetables. Whenever dining in Italy, it is almost impossible to go wrong with any homemade pasta in a country that is world renowned for that very cuisine.

Another traditional first course dish throughout the Marche region is vincisgrassi. This unique dish is made with pasta similar to lasagna sheets that is served with chicken entrails and other leftover animal parts. Like lasagne alla bolognese, vincisgrassi is topped with cheese and baked in the oven.

SECOND COURSE

Fritto misto all’ascolana is an often requested favorite in Ascoli Piceno. This dish is a mixture of fried foods that almost always contains the green olives of olive all’ascolana as well as various vegetables such as zucchini and artichokes and sometimes meat such as lamb. Be sure to save room for this plate of delicious warm fried goodness.

A traditional stew, pollo alla ‘ncip ‘nciap is a warm and savory second course perfect for cold weather days. Garlic and rosemary liven up this chicken stew, giving it a lovely home-cooked flavor that warms the body up from the inside out and is perfect on a cold day.

Another local favorite is coniglio in porchetta, which features rabbit wrapped in pancetta or another fatty cut of pork then slowly cooked with plenty of herbs and spices, including wild fennel.

SIDE DISHES

Common local vegetables that are often featured in Ascoli Piceno’s side dishes include tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, bell peppers, broccoli rabe, cabbage, fennel, and more. Locals also forage for mushrooms to make funghi porcini ripieni, which is stuffed porcini mushrooms.

STREET FOOD

With olive all’ascolana being one of the city and surrounding area’s most traditional foods, it is no surprise it is also served as a street food. This finger friendly food makes a perfect snack to munch on as you stroll the charming streets of Ascoli Piceno taking in the sights.

DESSERT

One of the more traditional sweets of Ascoli Piceno is some version of fried sweet cream ravioli filled with ingredients such as ricotta, egg, sugar, cinnamon, and sometimes a touch of rum.

Cakes big and small and of all shapes and sizes are frequently flavored with anise for a uniquely Ascoli Piceno taste. Most locals enjoy these cakes topped with a generous helping of powdered sugar and alongside a cup of delicious hot coffee.

Funghetti di Offida are one of the more unusually shaped desserts of the city. These small cookies are in the shape of a mushroom and are, of course, flavored with anise. Since these cookies are both small and delicious, consider yourself warned that many find them so delicious they end up craving them day and night.

WINE

While the cuisine of Ascoli Piceno is deliciously indulgent, the mealtime experience here just is not considered complete until paired with a locally made wine.

One of the most frequently requested local wines in Ascoli Piceno is the Rosso Piceno DOC. The grapes used for this red wine are generally grown in the Ascoli Piceno area as well as two or three other provinces in the Marche region. Rosso Piceno wines are typically comprised of mostly Sangiovese grapes with some Montepulciano grapes as well.

Another favorite wine of local diners is Falerio dei Colli Ascolani. This Marche region white wine is comprised mainly of Pecorino and Passerina grape varieties.

Although it is classified as local liqueur rather than a wine, Anisetta is widely popular throughout the Ascoli Piceno region. This classic aniseed liqueur has been around since the late nineteenth century and is still widely enjoyed today. While Anisetta can be enjoyed on its own (usually over ice), it is often used to flavor various other cocktails.