Palazzo della Casa di Risparmio is a large and striking building in the historic centre of Ascoli Piceno. It caught our eye as we walked along Corso Mazzini, towards Piazza del Popolo. We were intrigued by the two elephants flanking the main door. They are a fun element especially if you have young kids with you. What were these stone elephants doing there? Each one seems to carry the two pillars on their back and together, they appear to be holding the building up. The palazzo was built as a savings bank, so perhaps the elephants were meant to represent strength and solidity. Perhaps this was reassuring to customers? Having stopped for the elephants, we immediately saw that there were a lot of other features to notice. It’s a very elegant building with an arched balcony on one corner of the second storey, a Romeo-and-Juliet balcony on the other corner, and a side turret. Higher up, the facade is festooned with semi-naked figures, garlands, baskets of flowers, and cornucopia with fruit tumbling out. It’s not as old as I’d first thought and was designed by Cesare Bazzani and built in 1912. His design incorporated a mock-Renaissance form with Liberty or Italian Art Nouveau style. Today, the building houses the Banca Intesa so during business hours, you can take a look inside but we were there on a weekend so it was shut. NOTE: There is an information board with photographs and a brief history of the palazzo out the front. It is listed as #27 on the Commune di Ascoli Piceno historical trail. Confusingly, the sign refers to the building as Palazzo Bazzini (the name of the architect).