The province contains, among the numerous historical sites, the Roman settlement ofHelvia Recina, destroyed by orders ofAlaric I, King of the Visigoths, in 408. The province was part of thePapal States from 1445 (with an interruption during the French invasion during theNapoleonic Wars), until theunification of Italy in 1860. TheUniversity of Macerata was formed in the province in 1260 and was known as the University of the Piceno from 1540, whenPope Paul III issued a bull naming it this. The town ofCamerino, home to another historical university, is also located in the region.[3]
Cingoli was founded in the province as Cingulum, also known as "The Balcony of the Marche" due to its views of the surroundings.Tolentino was founded by the Romans as Tolentinum, whileRecanati is widely known as the birthplace of poetGiacomo Leopardi.Massimo Girotti, an actor, was born inMogliano in the province of Macerata.[3]
1,459.61 square kilometres (563.56 sq mi) of the province is agricultural land, and 124.95 square kilometres (48.24 sq mi) is urbanised. The two largestcomuni are Macerata andCivitanova Marche, both withc. 40,000 inhabitants.
