VASTO, a fortified town of Italy, in the province of Chieti, stands high on an olive-clad slope, about a mile from the Adriatic and 131 miles south-east from Ancona. It is still surrounded by its mediaeval walls, and commands fine views extending to the Tremiti Islands and Monte Gargano. The cathedral, with a Gothic façade, has no special interest; the municipal buildings contain a collection of Roman antiquities and inscriptions. There are manufactures of earthenware, woollen cloth, and silk; but the inhabitants are chiefly employed in the culture of the olive and in fishing. The population in 1881 was 9761 (commune 13,883).

Vasto, the Histonium of the ancient geographers, was a flourishing municipal town under the Roman empire, as is shown by the numerous remains of theatres, baths, and other public edifices. It was, and still is, subject to severe earth tremors.