3581 Loreto

One of Le Marches most famous religious centres is Loreto.
Pilgrims flock to visit the sanctuary of the Santa Casa housed in the basilica built in 1468.

Within the basilica there are numerous important works of art including the fresco of San Marco by Melozzo d Forli between 1477-1480 and the fresco of San Giovanni by Signorelli in 1479.

The Santa Casa the birthplace of the Madonna is said to have been brought from Palastine by angels and deposited in Loreto between the night of 9th and 10th of December 1294.
The Santa Casa is protected by a marble covering made by some of the 16th centuries most famous artists and planned by Bramante.

The museum is of great interest for its paintings by Lotto, tapestries, pieces of furniture and ceramics of great value.
Many of the original treasures and wealth from the basilica were moved to Rome to avoid Napoleonic raids. They have never been returned-----typical Romani!!!!

The city walls were built as protection from Muslim invasion after the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

A stunning place visible from the A14 motorway and well worth a detour to visit this holy place.

Category
Do & See

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 05/08/2006 - 13:21

If, after the historical and cultural trip you would like to eat, the best place is "Adreina", with very good grilled meat and typical dishes.
At a lower level, but in a beautiful restored villa near the highway exit, there's "Zi Nene", where it's possible to sleep too.
Cheaper, but in a very nice and restored place in the old town, in the end, there's "Garibaldi".
Avoid ALL the "pilgrims" restaurants in the main "corso" on the way for the basilica.

On the other hand, if you prefer the sea, after visiting the basilica, Porto Recanati is really close to Loreto, so you can have a swim too if you come in summer