Petriolo
The Province of Macerata: An Overview
The Province of Macerata is one of the provinces of the Marche region, with the provincial capital located in the city of Macerata. With a population of 303,684 and an area of , the province is the largest in the Marche region.
Physical Geography of the Province of Macerata
The Province of Macerata borders the Umbria Region (Province of Perugia) to the west and the Adriatic Sea to the east. Since 2004, it is the only province in the Marche region that borders with three other provinces in the same region: Province of Ancona to the north, Province of Ascoli Piceno to the southwest, and Province of Fermo to the south. The territory is mostly hilly (67.7%), while 32.3% is mountainous.
The Apennines and the Subappennino maceratese are home to three unions of mountain municipalities: Union of Mountain Municipality Potenza Esino Musone, Union of Mountain Municipality Marca di Camerino and Union of Mountain Municipality of Monti Azzurri. The province derives from the homonymous delegation of Macerata of the Papal States, which in 1860 the Minghetti decree extended by annexing the delegation of Camerino and the municipality of Visso.
Economy of the Province of Macerata
The economy of Macerata, like that of most of the Marche region, is characterized by small but highly specialized companies. One of the most important sectors is the footwear industry. In 2006, the Bank of the Province of Macerata was established to support economic development.
Infrastructure and Transport in the Province of Macerata
Before the automobile era, the Province of Macerata was crossed by historic roads leading to Rome. Some of these are very ancient and the most important was the Via Lauretana. The Rome-Ancona railway through the Valico di Fossato di Vico-Fabriano-Vall'Esina took away the province's ambitions to have a railway artery directly connecting the capital city.
Around 1885, it was repaired with a line that separates at Albacina, just after Fabriano, towards Ancona. The line reaches Civitanova Marche in connection with the other important Adriatic Railway. The railway line crosses the provincial capital of Macerata and other important cities of the province such as Matelica, San Severino Marche, Tolentino Station, Corridonia and Montecosaro with steep slopes. Camerino was connected to this railway in Castelraimondo with the Castelraimondo-Camerino Railway, now dismantled and replaced with a bus service.
In summary, the Province of Macerata is an interesting and highly specialized region from an economic point of view, with a population of over 300,000 inhabitants. The province is known for its physical geography which includes a series of mountain ranges, hills, and valleys, and is crossed by important transportation arteries. With its strategic location and growing economy, the Province of Macerata is destined to play an increasingly important role in the years to come.
