Tolentino
Encyclopedia
Tolentino is a town and comune
of about 20,000 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
.
, date to the lower Paleolithic
.
Numerous tombs, from the 8th to the 4th centuries BCE, attest to the presence of the Piceni culture at the site of today's city, Roman Tolentinum, linked to Rome by the via Flaminia
. 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, before becoming part of the Papal States
until the arrival of Napoleon.
In the city, on February 19, 1797, was signed the Treaty of Tolentino
between Napoleon and Pope Pius VI
which imposed territorial and economic strictures on the Papacy.
In 1815, at the battle of Tolentino
, Joachim Murat
was decisively defeated by Frederick Bianchi
at the head of Austrian forces, resulting in his abdication. Tolentino returned to papal control until Italian unification
in 1861.
In the late 19th century industrial development decisively linked Tolentino economically to the rest of Italy.
(c. 1246—1305) and the humanist Francesco Filelfo
(1398–1481). Other notable people:
. The nearest major airport is Falconara (Ancona
), about 100 km from Tolentino but linked by highway, and there is a tiny airstrip for ultralight aviation in the town's immediate surroundings.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of about 20,000 inhabitants, in the province of Macerata
Province of Macerata
The Province of Macerata is a province in the Marche region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Macerata.It has an area of 2,774 km², and a total population of 301,701 . There are 57 comunes in the province, see Comunes of the Province of Macerata.-External links:*...
in the Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
region of central Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
It is located in the middle of the valley of the Chienti
Chienti
The Chienti is a river in the Marche region of Italy. Its mouth is on the Adriatic at the town of Civitanova Marche ....
.
History
Signs of the first inhabitants of this favorable and fertile coastal zone, between the mountains and the AdriaticAdriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
, date to the lower Paleolithic
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
.
Numerous tombs, from the 8th to the 4th centuries BCE, attest to the presence of the Piceni culture at the site of today's city, Roman Tolentinum, linked to Rome by the via Flaminia
Via Flaminia
The Via Flaminia was an ancient Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to Ariminum on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans had for travel between Etruria, Latium and Campania and the Po Valley...
. Tolentinum was the seat of the diocese of Tolentino
Diocese of Tolentino
The Diocese of Tolentino was a Roman Catholic diocese in Italy from the fifth century until it was merged with the Diocese of Macerata-Tolentino in 1586.-External links:*...
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, before becoming part of the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
until the arrival of Napoleon.
In the city, on February 19, 1797, was signed the Treaty of Tolentino
Treaty of Tolentino
The Treaty of Tolentino was signed after nine months of negotiations between France and the Papal States on February 19, 1797. It was part of the events following the invasion of Italy in the early stages of the French Revolutionary Wars...
between Napoleon and Pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI , born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, was Pope from 1775 to 1799.-Early years:Braschi was born in Cesena...
which imposed territorial and economic strictures on the Papacy.
In 1815, at the battle of Tolentino
Battle of Tolentino
The Battle of Tolentino was fought on 2 – 3 May 1815 near Tolentino, 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 after the Congress of Vienna. The battle itself shares many parallels with...
, Joachim Murat
Joachim Murat
Joachim-Napoléon Murat , Marshal of France and Grand Admiral or Admiral of France, 1st Prince Murat, was Grand Duke of Berg from 1806 to 1808 and then King of Naples from 1808 to 1815...
was decisively defeated by Frederick Bianchi
Frederick Bianchi
Frederick Bianchi is an American-born composer and music technologist . Central to his work is the integration of acoustic instruments with electronic/computer-generated sound...
at the head of Austrian forces, resulting in his abdication. Tolentino returned to papal control until Italian unification
Italian unification
Italian unification was the political and social movement that agglomerated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy in the 19th century...
in 1861.
In the late 19th century industrial development decisively linked Tolentino economically to the rest of Italy.
Main sights
Notable people
The most famous Tolentinati are the saint Nicholas of TolentinoNicholas of Tolentino
Saint Nicholas of Tolentino , known as the Patron of Holy Souls, was an Italian saint and mystic.-Biography:...
(c. 1246—1305) and the humanist Francesco Filelfo
Francesco Filelfo
Francesco Filelfo was an Italian Renaissance humanist.-Biography:Filelfo was born at Tolentino, in the March of Ancona. He is believed to be a third cousin of Leonardo Da Vinci. At the time of his birth, Petrarch and the students of Florence had already brought the first act in the recovery of...
(1398–1481). Other notable people:
- Niccolò Mauruzi da Tolentino (1350 c.-1435), mercenary
- Nicola VaccaiNicola VaccaiNicola Vaccai was an Italian composer, particularly of operas, and a singing teacher.-Life and career as a composer:...
(1790–1848), musician - Mario MattoliMario MattoliMario Mattoli was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 86 films between 1934 and 1966....
(1898–1980), film director
Transportation
Tolentino is about 60 km from the western Flaminia insertion to Rome and 40 km 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 FabrianoFabriano
Fabriano is a town and comune of Ancona province in the Italian region of the Marche, at 325 m above sea-level. It lies in the Esino valley 44 km upstream and SW of Jesi; and 15 km ENE of Fossato di Vico and 36 km east of Gubbio...
. The nearest major airport is Falconara (Ancona
Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
), about 100 km from Tolentino but linked by highway, and there is a tiny airstrip for ultralight aviation in the town's immediate surroundings.