Loreto ( lə-RET-oh, US also lə-RAY-toh, Italian: [loˈreːto]) is a hill town and comune of the Italian province of Ancona, in the Marche region. It is most commonly known as the seat of the Basilica della Santa Casa, a popular Catholic pilgrimage site.
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Location
Loreto is located 127 meters (417 feet) above sea level on the right bank of the Musone river and 22 kilometers (14 miles) by rail south-southeast of Ancona; like many places in the Marche, it provides good views from the Apennines to the Adriatic.
Main sights
The city's main monuments occupy the four sides of the piazza: the college of the Jesuits; the Palazzo Comunale (formerly the Palazzo Apostolico), designed by Bramante, that houses an art gallery with works of Lorenzo Lotto, Vouet and Annibale Carracci as well as a collection of maiolica, and the Shrine of the Holy House (Santuario della Santa Casa). It also boasts a massive line of walls, designed by the architect (and military engineer) Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, which were erected from 1518 and reinforced in the 17th century.
Twin towns and sister cities
Loreto is twinned with:
Mariazell, Austria
Fátima, Portugal
Altötting, Germany
Częstochowa, Poland
Lourdes, France
Nazareth, Israel
Harissa, Lebanon
Għajnsielem, Malta