The province of Macerata ( it, provincia di Macerata) is a
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
in the
Marche region of
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. Its capital is the city of
Macerata. The province includes 55
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 also ...
s (Italian: ''comuni'') in the province, see
Comunes of the Province of Macerata.
Located between the rivers
Potenza (''Flosis'') and
Chienti, both of which originate in the province, the city of Macerata is located on a hill.
The province contains, among the numerous historical sites, the Roman settlement of
Helvia Recina, destroyed by orders of
Alaric I, King of the Visigoths, in 408. The province was part of the
Papal States from 1445 (with an interruption during the French invasion during the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
), until the
unification of Italy in 1860. The
University of Macerata
The University of Macerata ( it, Università degli Studi di Macerata) is a public university located in Macerata, Italy. It is one of the oldest universities in Europe that are still functioning.https://thefunkonme.com/top-10-oldest-universities ...
was formed in the province in 1260 and was known as the University of the Piceno from 1540, when
Pope Paul III issued a bull naming it this. The town of
Camerino
Camerino is a town in the province of Macerata, Marche, central-eastern Italy. It is located in the Apennines bordering Umbria, between the valleys of the rivers Potenza and Chienti, about from Ancona.
Camerino is home to the University of C ...
, home to another historical university, is also located in the region.
Cingoli Cingoli is a town and ''comune'' of the Marches, Italy, in the province of Macerata, about by road from the town of Macerata. It is the birthplace of Pope Pius VIII.
History
The town occupies the site of the ancient ''Cingulum'', a town of Pice ...
was founded in the province as Cingulum, also known as "The Balcony of the Marche" due to its views of the surroundings.
Tolentino
Tolentino is a town and ''comune'' of about 19,000 inhabitants, in the province of Macerata in the Marche region of central Italy.
It is located in the middle of the valley of the Chienti.
History
Signs of the first inhabitants of this favorab ...
was founded by the Romans as Tolentinum, while
Recanati
Recanati () is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Macerata, in the Marche region of Italy. Recanati was founded around 1150 AD from three pre-existing castles. In 1290 it proclaimed itself an independent republic and, in the 15th century, ...
is widely known as the birthplace of poet
Giacomo Leopardi.
Massimo Girotti
Massimo Girotti (18 May 1918 – 5 January 2003) was an Italian film actor whose career spanned seven decades.
Born in Mogliano, in the province of Macerata, Girotti developed his athletic physique by swimming and playing polo. While studying eng ...
, an actor, was born in
Mogliano in the province of Macerata.
of the province is agricultural land, and is urbanised. The two largest ''comuni'' are Macerata and
Civitanova Marche
Civitanova Marche is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about southeast of Ancona and about east of Macerata.
Geography
Civitanova Marche borders the municipalities: Montecosaro, Port ...
, both with c. 40,000 inhabitants.
References
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
Macerata