The Confraternity of Santissimo Sacramento, the second oldest in Vasto after the Confraternity of the Gonfalone—which later merged into the Confraternity of the Sacred Thorn—was founded in 1542 by Prelate Giovanni Berardino de Amicis. It was historically based in the collegiate church of San Pietro, where it remained active until the church was demolished following…
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…
There is something unique about the Cathedral of Vasto—a blend of modesty and grandeur that only its history can explain. Founded in 1262 by Count Rolando Palatino, the church was originally dedicated to Santa Margherita. In the 14th century, Charles II of Anjou, King of Naples, granted it to the Augustinian Order, whose monastery stood…
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.…
The noble chapel of Palazzo Genova Rulli, the Church of Santa Filomena, stands today in elegant neoclassical form, shaped by the reconstruction carried out by architect Nicola Maria Pietrocola in the early 19th century. Its façade features a large triangular pediment above the portal’s architrave, while inside, a single nave creates an intimate yet refined…
The name Genova Rulli evokes a deep sense of nostalgia among older generations in Vasto, recalling values of a bygone era. This sentiment stems from the legacy of Cavalier Luigi Genova Rulli, a President of the Court of Appeal, who passed away in 1941 at the age of 95 without heirs. As the last representative…
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,…
Riccio de Parma was a knight who participated in the legendary Disfida di Barletta (Challenge of Barletta) on February 13, 1503, when 13 Italian champions faced off against 13 French soldiers. The challenge had arisen from insults a French commander had directed at Italian soldiers in the service of the Spanish crown, at a tavern…
Cesare Michelangelo d’Avalos d’Aquino d’Aragona was born in Vasto on January 15, 1667, and baptized on January 19 in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. He was the third son of Diego I d’Avalos, Marquis of Vasto. After the untimely death of his elder brother, who left no heirs, Cesare Michelangelo assumed the title of…
The Bassano Tower, rising twenty meters above the main city square, is named after the Bassano family. This family arrived in Vasto from the Republic of Venice in the previous century, built the tower in the seventeenth century, and made it their residence for nearly two centuries. Today, the tower features a shop on the…