The area now known as Piazza Barbacani, seamlessly integrated into the modern city and considered the “square in front of the Town Hall,” was once a steep slope descending from the castle walls into the valley below. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the area was filled in to create what would later become…
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…
The Rossetti Theater in Vasto is the second-oldest theater in Abruzzo, following the Marrucino Theater in Chieti. It was inaugurated on May 30, 1819, originally named the Royal Bourbon Theater, and was built on the ruins of the former Church of Santo Spirito, which was part of the disbanded Celestine convent. Designed by engineer Taddeo…
Palazzo Genova Rulli, located at the intersection of Via Anelli and Corso Palizzi, was built in the first half of the 19th century. Its design blends late Baroque and Neoclassical architectural elements, incorporated into a preexisting conventual structure dating back to the 16th century. This site was once home to the Convent of the Annunziata,…
The Palazzo del Carmine, as it stands today, was built in 1738 alongside the renovation of the adjacent church. By the mid-17th century, a convent already occupied the site, likely adapted from earlier structures. It became home to the Lucchesi fathers, invited to Vasto by Marquis Diego d’Avalos to establish a college dedicated to educating…
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…
In Santa Maria Maggiore, traces of the past dating back to the early centuries of Christianity are visible, representing the oldest core of the medieval city. This area was once part of the “castellum,” the nucleus of urban revival after the depopulation following the Gothic War in the sixth century. By 427, a church dedicated…
A circular tower overlooks Piazza Verdi, the city’s main traffic crossroads, easily identifiable by its fifteenth-century base, which contrasts with the second floor built in the twentieth century and covered in plaster. This is the Santo Spirito Tower, one of the five towers that originally formed part of the defensive bulwarks of the “degli inforzi”…
At the top of the Tre Segni hill, at the end of what is now the century-old Villa Comunale, stands a small church overlooking the sea. This is the Church of San Michele Arcangelo, modest in size and located far from the historic town center, under the religious jurisdiction of Santa Maria Maggiore. Yet, despite…
The Church of Santa Maria del Carmine is considered the most beautiful in Vasto from an architectural perspective, as it is the only one with a defined and cohesive style, both inside and outside. Its façade and bell tower, constructed between 1758 and 1761 based on designs by architect Mario Gioffredo, are excellent examples of…