In Vasto, as early as the early 1800s, the Carbonari were active under the name “Vendita dei Filantropi Istoniesi” (Sale of the Philanthropists of Istonium). Their first headquarters was located in an underground chamber beneath the Portone Panzotto, in the Santa Maria district. Later, in 1811, the headquarters were moved first to the convent of…
In 1816, the town of Vasto experienced a landslide, one of several that would occur over the years, culminating in the major landslide of 1956, which destroyed part of the ancient Roman city and the historic Church of San Pietro. The 1816 event also struck the town’s eastern slope, affecting the stretch from the Porta…
The exterior of Santa Maria Maggiore is irregular, built with rough brick, and contrasts with the artistic elegance of its Neoclassical interior. However, it bears numerous traces of the transformations the grand structure has undergone over time. For this reason, a full tour around the building is essential to truly appreciate its architectural evolution. Starting…
We enter the church through the vestibule, passing the stunning bronze doors created by sculptor Antonio Di Spalatro for the Jubilee Year 2000. From here, we step to the left into the central nave, walking beneath the choir loft, where a magnificent organ—crafted by Ponziano Bevilacqua in the early 20th century—stands. Below the loft, at…
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…
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…
At the southern limit of the Loggia Amblingh, where the walls of Vasto once ended, two large Roman cisterns are still visible, which today have been opened towards the promenade and transformed into a characteristic restaurant. Probably built in the first century AD, they were part of a group of six cisterns that guaranteed the…
The square next to the apse of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, from which a spectacular staircase leads down to the door of Santa Maria, today known as “Porta Catena”, is called Piazza del Tomolo. The name comes from an ancient commercial measurement, corresponding to the amount of grain needed to sow a tomolo…
The “Loggia Amblingh” is the most beautiful panoramic walk in Vasto, between Piazza Marconi and the perimeter wall of the gardens of Palazzo d’Avalos. The route was created at the beginning of the twentieth century when the collapse of Gabriele Rossetti’s birthplace, built on the old walls, had made the city government aware of the…