Porta Catena is the only gate of the medieval city wall remaining in the city, and its construction took place between 1391 and 1439. It has a beautiful pointed arch in brick, surmounted by a round arch, which supports the upper part protruding. Porta Catena has evidently been remodeled at various times, but some original…
At the crossroads between Corso Palizzi and Corso Dante Alighieri, or between what were, respectively, the Cardo and the Decumanus of the Roman Histonium, if we continue towards the city center, we can cross an arch located below Palazzo Monteferrante, a neoclassical work by Nicola Maria Pietrocola, who takes us to Largo dei Quattro Forni.…
The bell tower of Santa Maria Maggiore is the tallest tower in the city, clearly visible even from kilometers away if you look at Vasto from the south. The bell tower has a quadrangular section and is divided into three sections which refer to different moments of construction. The base of the bell tower of…
The Portone Panzotto is certainly one of the oldest and most characteristic places in Vasto. The alley which, from the center of the medieval district of Santa Maria, passing under some private houses, emerges at the beginning of the Loggia Amblingh. It is unclear where its name comes from. The historian Luigi Marchesani, in the…
Born in Vasto in 1860, to a wealthy family of merchants, Luigi Anelli demonstrated his witty streak very early on, founding his first newspaper at just 18 years old. At 25, he published the first edition of his “Ricordi di Storia Vastese” in Naples. Having returned to his hometown, at the age of 35 he…
Luigi Marchesani was born in Vasto in 1802. Son of a notary, he graduated in medicine in Naples, where he practiced until 1837, distinguishing himself as a teacher and researcher, and publishing numerous essays. In 1842, he founded the Vasto hospital, where he worked as surgeon and director. Always passionate about homeland history, in 1841…
The Archaeological Museum is the oldest in Abruzzo, founded in 1849 as the Municipal Archaeological Cabinet of Vasto, by the local doctor and historian, Luigi Marchesani. His intent was to collect the finds made available by some historic families of the city, together with those that he himself collected and catalogued, on the occasion of…
The Roman Amphitheater of Vasto, located in the heart of the city under Piazza Rossetti, represents one of the most important archaeological remains in Abruzzo. Although it is not completely visible due to subsequent urban stratifications, its presence is still tangible, and tells a fascinating piece of Roman history. Dating back to the end of…
In via Anelli, from number 90 to the end of the road at the intersection with via Sant’Antonio, the wall at the base of the modest houses that overlook it is free of plaster and reveals a curious alternation of bricks and squared stones laid in a rhomboidal: a roman insula. It is a fragment…
The Roman Baths of Vasto are famous for two large mosaics discovered during excavation campaigns in 1974 and 1997. The first mosaic, known as the Marino Mosaic, measures approximately 38 square meters. It was initially unearthed in 1828 during work near the convent of San Francesco, then a royal sub-prefecture. At the time, it was…