The Public Wash House (Lavatoio pubblico) of Ascoli Piceno, also known as Fonte di Sant’Emidio, dates from the XVII century and is located in the area of Porta Cappuccina (Portà Solestà), near the Roman Bridge. Its story is closely tied to one of the miracles performed by Sant’Emidio, cephalophore martyr and Patron Saint of the town. Tradition has it that the Saint, lacking the water to baptize the newly converted people, obtained it by hitting a stone and making the water gush out. Another tradition, supported by the author Secondo Balena, tells that the water gushed out from the point the Saint’s head fell. In fact, his martyrdom took place nearby the source, on the site where today the church of Sant’Emidio Rosso stands.