Tolentino ( Maceratese: ''Tulindì'') is a town and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' of about 19,000 inhabitants, in the

province of Macerata The province of Macerata () is a province in the Marche region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Macerata. The province contains 55 ''comuni'' (: ''comune''), listed in the ''comuni'' of the province of Macerata. Located between the rivers ...

in the

Marche Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, ...

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

History

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

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

, 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 3.3 million years ago when the first evidence for stone tool production and use by hominins appears ...

. 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 () was an ancient Roman roads, 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 had f ...

. 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. Sforza rule began with the family's acquisition of the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti of Milan, Visconti family in the mid-15th century and ...

, before becoming part of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

until the arrival of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. The Treaty of Tolentino between Bonaparte and

Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI (; born Count Angelo Onofrio Melchiorre Natale Giovanni Antonio called Giovanni Angelo or Giannangelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to hi ...

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,

Joachim Murat Joachim Murat ( , also ; ; ; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French Army officer and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the military titles of Marshal of the ...

was decisively defeated by Frederick Bianchi at the head of Austrian forces, resulting in his abdication. Tolentino returned to papal control until

Italian unification The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of ...

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 (ri ...

, Petriolo, Pollenza, San Ginesio,

San Severino Marche San Severino Marche is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about southwest of Ancona and about southwest of Macerata. History From prehistory to Roman age The oldest remains of human ...

Serrapetrona Serrapetrona is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about southwest of Ancona and about southwest of Macerata. Serrapetrona borders the following municipalities: Belforte del Chient ...

, Treia and Urbisaglia.

''Frazioni''

Tolentino counts the hamlets (''

frazioni A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'') 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 venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

, 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 * Chiaravalle Abbey * Sacro Cuore di Gesù Church * San Catervo Church * San Francesco Church * Santa Maria della Tempesta Church * Santissimo Crocifisso Church * Teatro Nicola Vaccaj

Notable people

The most famous ''Tolentinati'' are St Nicholas of Tolentino (c. 1246–1305) and the humanist

Francesco Filelfo Francesco Filelfo (; 25 July 1398 – 31 July 1481) was an Italian Renaissance humanism, Renaissance humanist and author of the philosophic dialogue ''On Exile''. Biography Filelfo was born at Tolentino, in the March of Ancona. He is believed t ...

(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 Mario Mattoli (; 30 November 1898 – 26 February 1980) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 86 films between 1934 and 1966. His 1939 film ''Defendant, Stand Up!'' was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comed ...

(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 U ...

. The nearest major airport is Falconara (

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

), 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.

International relations

Tolentino is twinned with: * Serravalle, San Marino (2020)

Titular see

On 17 December 2022, the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

established the

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...

of Tolentino. Prelates who have held the title are: * Rolandas Makrickas (11 February 2023 – 7 December 2024) * Maurizio Bravi (15 January 2025 - present)

References

External links

Tolentino official website
*
Biennale dell'Umorismo nell'Arte

Basilica of San Nicola da Tolentino

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