Tolentino

Tolentino is a town of around 19,000 people in the province of Macerata, at an elevation of about 256 m, with a historic centre still enclosed by medieval walls entered through landmarks such as the 13th-century Porta del Diavolo. The town is best known for two things: the Treaty of Tolentino, signed here on 19 February 1797 between Napoleon Bonaparte and the Papal States under Pope Pius VI, which forced the papacy to cede territory (including Avignon) and surrender a large number of artworks to France; and the Basilica of San Nicola da Tolentino, part of an Augustinian monastery and the veneration site of the Augustinian friar Nicholas of Tolentino, formally raised to minor-basilica status by Pope Pius VI in 1783. The basilica preserves a cycle of frescoes from around 1325 considered among the largest and finest of their period in the Marche.

Tolentino has its own station on the Civitanova Marche–Fabriano railway, an inland line connecting the Adriatic coast at Civitanova through Macerata and Tolentino to Fabriano.

The historic centre within the medieval walls is compact and walkable.

The Basilica of San Nicola da Tolentino, part of an Augustinian monastery, is the town's principal sight, holding a cycle of frescoes from around 1325 regarded as among the finest of their period in the Marche. The medieval walls of the historic centre are entered through gates including the 13th-century Porta del Diavolo. The town's role in the Treaty of Tolentino of 1797, signed between Napoleon Bonaparte and the Papal States, is part of its historical identity.