Although official records state that the first church dedicated to San Michele was built in 1675, the presence of the saint in Vasto dates back more than two thousand years, even before the Christian era. Back then, he was not yet called Michael, nor was he a saint, but rather Mithras, a pagan deity imported…
Inside the Cathedral of San Giuseppe, the design and decorations are eclectic, drawing inspiration from a Neo-Gothic style. The color contrasts in the wall decorations, featuring white and green marble, echo the bicromatic design of Tuscany’s great 13th-century cathedrals. The church took on its present form after 1890, following restoration work by Francesco Benedetti. It…
The exterior of the Cathedral of San Giuseppe does not have a uniform character and reflects the various historical phases that contributed to the monument’s current appearance. The façade was likely constructed in three stages. Initially, it was designed in a simple gabled form, typical of the conventual churches of mendicant orders like the Augustinians,…
The veneration of San Michele, patron saint of Vasto, has deep historical roots, dating back to the Lombard rule, when a place of worship dedicated to Sant’Arcangelo stood near the present-day church—possibly of even older, Byzantine origin. The cult of the commander of the angelic hosts never truly faded; otherwise, the people of Vasto would…
At the top of the street that shares its name, where just a couple of centuries ago open countryside stretched just beyond Vasto’s gates, stands the Palazzo di Sant’Anna. It takes its name from the church dedicated to the Virgin Mary’s mother, which occupies its ground floor. The church entrance is marked by a portico…
In the north wing of Palazzo d’Avalos, visitors can also explore the Museum of Traditional Costume, which began in 1995 with a collection initiated by the local Lions Club. This effort was aimed at creating an ethnographic archive focused on Vasto and the surrounding area. The first room is dedicated to the art of tombolo,…
The four Palizzi brothers were born between 1812 and 1825 to Antonio Palizzi, a Sicilian from a family long settled in Lanciano, and Doralice Del Greco, the daughter of a notary from Vasto. The family, which eventually included nine children, moved to Vasto in 1812, settling in a house on Via San Teodoro (now Via…
A visit to the municipal art gallery of Vasto is an excellent opportunity to admire beautiful examples of mid-19th-century Verismo painting, and above all, to relive the city’s cultural history through the works of its most prominent artists. Vasto has produced several talented painters, many of whom worked primarily in the Neapolitan art scene, both…
The Ciccarone family, originally from Scerni, arrived in Vasto in the wake of the feudal abolition and the gradual decline of d’Avalos’ holdings. Francesco Paolo Ciccarone was an ardent supporter of the short-lived Jacobin-inspired Neapolitan Republic and fought in Pescara under Ettore Carafa, who was later executed by King Ferdinand I in Naples. A committed…
Palazzo Ciccarone, the most significant noble residence in Vasto after Palazzo d’Avalos, stands along Corso Plebiscito with its understated 18th-century architecture. Its symmetrical façade is punctuated by regularly spaced windows and balconies across two floors. The three entrances at street level once led to storage areas used by the landowning nobility to house agricultural goods.…