Tolentino is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...

'' of about 19,000 inhabitants, in the province of Macerata in the

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

region of central Italy. It is located in the middle of the valley of the

Chienti The Chienti is a river in the Marche region of Italy. Its source is near Serravalle di Chienti in the Appennino Umbro-Marchigiano mountains in the province of Macerata. The river flows northeast through the mountains past Muccia and enters and ex ...

History

Signs of the first inhabitants of this favorable and fertile coastal zone, between the mountains and the Adriatic, date to the

Lower Paleolithic The Lower Paleolithic (or Lower Palaeolithic) is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. It spans the time from around 3 million years ago when the first evidence for stone tool production and use by hominins appears in ...

. Numerous tombs, from the 8th to the 4th centuries BCE, attest to the presence of the culture of the Piceni at the site of today's city, Roman ''Tolentinum'', linked to Rome by the

via Flaminia The Via Flaminia or Flaminian Way was an ancient Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to ''Ariminum'' ( Rimini) on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans ha ...

. Tolentinum was the seat of the diocese of Tolentino from the late 6th century, under the patronage of the local Saint Catervo. The urban commune is attested from 1099, assuming its mature communal form between 1170 and 1190, settling its boundaries through friction with neighboring communes like S. Severino and Camerino. From the end of the 14th century, the commune passed into the hands of the da Varano family and then the

Sforza The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. They acquired the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti family in the mid-15th century, Sforza rule ending in Milan with the death of the last mem ...

, before becoming part of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct Sovereignty, sovereign rule of ...

until the arrival of Napoleon. The Treaty of Tolentino between Bonaparte and

Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI ( it, Pio VI; born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to his death in August 1799. Pius VI condemned the French Revoluti ...

was signed in the city on 19 February 1797: this imposed territorial and economic strictures on the Papacy. In 1815, at the

battle of Tolentino The Battle of Tolentino was fought from 2–3 May 1815 near Tolentino, Kingdom of Naples in what is now Marche, Italy: it was the decisive battle in the Neapolitan War, fought by the Napoleonic King of Naples Joachim Murat to keep the throne ...

Joachim Murat Joachim Murat ( , also , ; it, Gioacchino Murati; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French military commander and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the m ...

was decisively defeated by

Frederick Bianchi Frederick Bianchi is an American-born composer and music technologist (born 1954). Central to his work is the integration of acoustic instruments with electronic/computer-generated sound. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, honors, a ...

at the head of Austrian forces, resulting in his abdication. Tolentino returned to papal control until

Italian unification The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...

in 1861. In the late 19th century industrial development decisively linked Tolentino economically to the rest of Italy.

Geography

The municipality borders with Belforte del Chienti, Camporotondo di Fiastrone, Colmurano, Corridonia,

Macerata Macerata () is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy, the county seat of the province of Macerata in the Marche region. It has a population of about 41,564. History The historical city centre is on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza r ...

, Petriolo,

Pollenza Pollenza is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about southwest of Ancona and about southwest of Macerata. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 6,086 and an area of .All de ...

, San Ginesio, San Severino Marche, Serrapetrona,

Treia Treia is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Macerata in the central Marche (Italy). It is north of Pollenza, west of Macerata, and north-northeast of Tolentino. Geography The site of the abandoned Roman municipium of Trea is situated ...

and Urbisaglia.

''Frazioni''

Tolentino counts the hamlets ('' frazioni'') of Abbadia di Fiastra, Acquasalata, Ancaiano, Asinina, Bura, Calcavenaccio, Casa di Cristo, Casone, Cisterna, Collina, Colmaggiore, Divina Pastora, Fontajello, Fontebigoncio, Grazie, Maestà, Massaccio, Pace, Parruccia, Paterno, Pianarucci, Pianciano, Pianibianchi, Portanova, Rambona, Rancia, Regnano, Ributino, Riolante, Rofanello, Rosciano, Rotondo, Sant'Andrea, Sant'Angelo, San Bartolomeo, Santa Croce, San Diego, San Giovanni, San Giuseppe, Santa Lucia, San Martino, San Rocco, Salcito, Santissimo Redentore, Troiano, Vaglie and Vicigliano.

Economy

Tolentino is home to

Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectato ...

, the swimwear brand, and Poltrona Frau, the noted designer of leather furniture and automotive interiors — as well as the Poltrona Frau Museum, designed by Italian architect Michele De Lucchi, to display furniture products.

Main sights

* San Nicola Basilica Church *

Castello della Rancia Rancia Castle is a medieval castle, nearly 7 km from Tolentino in the province of Macerata, region of Marche, Italy. It remains relatively well preserved in the valley of the Chienti. Origin of the name The Rancia Castle owes its name to ...

Chiaravalle Abbey The Abbey of Santa Maria di Rovegnano (Latin: ''Sanctæ Mariæ Clarævallis Mediolanensis'') is a Cistercian monastic complex in the ''comune'' of Milan, Lombardy, northern Italy. The ''borgo'' that has developed round the abbey was once an i ...

* Sacro Cuore di Gesù Church * San Catervo Church * San Francesco Church * Santa Maria della Tempesta Church * Santissimo Crocifisso Church *

Teatro Nicola Vaccaj The Teatro Vaccaj or Vaccai is a historic opera house in Tolentino, Italy. History and description In the late 18th century, in part under the patronage of Cardinal Carandini, this public theater was built. It was initially called the ''Teatro de ...

Notable people

The most famous ''Tolentinati'' are

St Nicholas of Tolentino Nicholas of Tolentino ( la, S. Nicolaus de Tolentino, (c. 1246September 10, 1305), known as the ''Patron of Holy Souls'', was an Italian saint and mystic. He is particularly invoked as an advocate for the souls in Purgatory, especially during ...

(c. 1246–1305) and the humanist Francesco Filelfo (1398–1481). Other notable people: * St Thomas of Tolentino, medieval Franciscan missionary and martyr * Niccolò da Tolentino (1350c. 1435), mercenary * Nicola Vaccai (1790–1848), musician * Mario Mattoli (1898–1980), film director

Transport

Tolentino is about from the western Flaminia insertion to Rome and from the Adriatic sea and A14 highway to the east: the SS77 highway connects the town to both these state routes. There are bus lines from here to the nearby minor towns and villages and a railway leading from Civitanova to

Fabriano Fabriano is a town and ''comune'' of Ancona province in the Italian region of the Marche, at above sea level. It lies in the Esino valley upstream and southwest of Jesi; and east-northeast of Fossato di Vico and east of Gubbio (both in Umbria) ...

. The nearest major airport is Falconara (

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...

), about from Tolentino but linked by highway, and there is a tiny airstrip for

ultralight aviation Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and Aircraft flight control system, conventional three-a ...

in the town's immediate surroundings.

References

External links

Tolentino official website

tolentinoline.com

Biennale dell'Umorismo nell'Arte

Basilica of San Nicola da Tolentino

Historical fair Tolentino 815
{{authority control Cities and towns in the Marche