Ascoli Piceno - Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio

In 268 BC Ascoli became a Roman "civitas foederata" but after it had revolted against Rome, it was reconquered and destroyed by Pompeius Strabo in 89BC.

During the Middle Ages Ascoli was ravaged by the Ostrogoths and then by the Lombards. After nearly two centuries as part of the Lombard Duchy of Spoleto (593–789), Ascoli was ruled by the Franks but ultimately it was the bishops that gained influence and power over the city.

In 1189 a free republican municipality was established but it experienced the sacking and destruction by the imperial armies of Frederick II. Municipal freedoms got undermined by factional struggles between the most prominent families. The internal unrest between opposing factions did not cease, leading to decades of rebellions, massacres, raids, the growth of banditry and the decline of civil virtues. This unstable situation opened the way to foreign dictatorships, such as condottiero (mercenary) Galeotto Malatesta (14th century) who is driven out by a revolt and later on Francesco Sforza who established a cruel dictatorship (15th century) which was overthrown in 1482, even if Ascoli was forced to recognize the sovereignty of the Church.

The town was called "Ascoli" until 1862, when "Piceno" was added, evoking the Picenes, which lived between the 8th and 6th centuries BC. here.

Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio is located in Piazza Ventidio Basso, the hub of medieval commercial activity. It is a Romanesque church, supplemented in the 14th century with Gothic features.

The characteristic square design of the façade corresponds to the style of the Assisi Cathedral. In its current form, the church is the result of works, restorations, and additions completed in 1389. Some scholars believe that a semi-subterranean oratory existed as early as the 4th-6th centuries. Others suggest that it was built in the 8th or 9th century. From this period come the reconstructions of the crypt, later added: the apse, the bell tower, the portal with the sculptural group, and the side aisles.