The monument to Cecco d'Ascoli in Ascoli Piceno

The monument to Cecco d'Ascoli, located in Piazza Giacomo Matteotti in the historic center of Ascoli Piceno, honors an illustrious figure who was a poet, doctor, teacher, philosopher, and astronomer. While the idea for a monument to the great Eretico began as far back as 1864, repeated attempts were blocked by opposition from clericals and other obstacles for over fifty years.

In 1919, the bronze statue was depicted by the sculptor Edoardo Camilli, shown with a severe and solemn appearance. The work was uncovered in New York on June 28, 1919, before a large crowd. It was then transported by ship to Genoa and by train to Ascoli Piceno in November of that same year. It was placed on a marble pedestal in the city center and covered with a cloth.

The monument was never officially inaugurated and remained covered until the night of December 31, 1921, when five high school students removed the cloth using a ladder and knives. In 2019, the year marking the 750th anniversary of Cecco d'Ascoli's birth, the local administration symbolically honored the citizen by officially inaugurating the monument a century late.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons