On the town's name, two theories have been registered: the first attests that it derives from the Latin "castrum faundanianum", which was the name of the current district of Castel Folignano in use during the Roman Ages, while the second from "lignum (wood), with reference to the large presence of woods in the area. Municipality in the hilly province of Ascoli Piceno, located South of this regional capital, bordering with the Abruzzo region and at just 30 km from the Adriatic coast. Its territory includes seven small suburbs between districts and villages.
Recent excavations evidence that the area was already inhabited in the Iron Ages: the rest of a necropolis and other interesting items, attest the presence of Piceno tribes, after which the area was colonized by the Roman Empire and by the Greeks, until it was conquered by the Duke of Spoleto. The first document that reports the town's name dates back to the second half of the XIII century, when it was destroyed by the troops of Manfred, King of the Two Sicilies. In the medieval period, the district of Castel Folignano assumed a crucial importance for this area: it was, in fact, recognized the strategic role to monitor the border with the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, in defense of the city of Ascoli. In the XVI century, however, the town submitted a period of slow decline, both administratively and socially, which produced benefits towards today's Folignano.
Attractions:
- the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie and San Cipriano in Castel Folignano, which was built in the XVIII century to a design by the architect Maggi. The main altar features a triptych, an artwork of the Alemanno, a late XV century artist, which represents in the central part, the Virgin and Child, while at the sides St. Catherine and San Cipriano, both devoted for the inhabitants of Folignano . In the lunette, God is featured as he dominates the characters located below;
- the Parish Church of San Gennaro, which preserves inside a XVI century reliquary, made of copper;
- Palazzo of Castel Foligno, which was built on the ruins of the castle, an important stronghold, that was built to defend the city of Ascol;
- the Hermitage of San Lorenzo Carpineto, of which remain only ruins;
- the Hermitage of San Marco, built in the Middle Ages;
- the Theatre of the Foglie;
- the historical Town centre.