The Franciscan church closing the south end of Piazza del Popolo, a Gothic structure begun in 1262 and finished only in 1549. The travertine façade is plain, but the side portal facing the piazza is finely carved and is the architectural punctuation of the whole square. Inside, the three-aisled basilica preserves a 15th-century crucifix and a wooden choir in the apse.
Don't miss the cluster of pillars at the main entrance — a long-standing local tradition holds that they were carved to a tuned scale and ring at different pitches when struck. The trick still works, and the church custodians occasionally demonstrate. The cloister, accessed from the rear, is one of the quietest spots in central Ascoli.