| Description: |
Tolentino municipality covers quite a large area that was already inhabited before the Roman times; indeed, when thinking about the renowned ´ciottolo di Tolentino´, a relic from the archaic Paleolithic preserved today in the National Archaeological Museum of Ancona, it is quite possible that the area was inhabited even long before the Picenians. Some major historical events that took place here are definitely worth mentioning: the Tolentino Treaty (1797) signed by Napoleon and the Papal State and by which the Pope was forced to accept humiliating conditions; the battle which took place at Castello della Rancia (1815), when Gioacchino Murat was defeated by the Austrians and lost his throne of Naples.
But besides being such an important historical location, the town is also known around the world for its shrine of Saint Nicholas from Tolentino, a preacher who is believed to have been a real wonder-worker.
Tolentino is also referred to as the ´city of smile´ for its ´Biennale Internazionale dell´Umorismo nell´Arte´ and its Museo Internazionale della Caricatura, definitely two of the region’s finest cultural events
The town is also provided with an important thermal establishment with hot sulphurous waters at Santa Lucia.
Text by Fabio Santilli
Translation by Gianfranco Martorano |