Loreto and the Holy House

The town of Loreto developed around the famous Basilica that contains the “Santa Casa” (the Holy House of Nazareth) where, according to tradition, the Virgin Mary was born, lived and received the announcement of the miraculous birth of Jesus. 

Tradition says that, when in 1291 the Muslims finally expelled the Christians from Jerusalem and then tried to regain Nazareth, a group of angels took care of the House and, after some wanderings, spreading their wings took it to Loreto. For this reason, the Madonna of Loreto is venerated as the patroness of aviators. 
Studies highlight that the origin of the House is Palestine in view of both the architectural style and the use of construction materials, unknown to the Marche territory and instead widely used in the Holy Land at the time. A recent theory, supported by the discovery of documents written after 1294, asserts that the transfer was the work of the Angeli Comneno princes, a branch of the imperial family of Constantinople, who carried the stones by ship. Both theories, in any event, concur that the House left Nazareth in 1291, passed through Dalmatia, remaining for about three years in Trsat (now a district of the town of Rijeka in Croatia), and arrived in Loreto on the night of December 9th-10th, 1294. 

In 1469, on the initiative of the bishop of Recanati, Nicolò delle Aste and later with Pope Paul II, the first construction of the present basilica began, first with Gothic and later Renaissance forms. In 1586, Pope Sixtus V appointed Loreto to the diocese and the bronze statue designed by Antonio Calcagni and Tiburzio Vergelli, that is placed in all its majesty next to the entrance of the Basilica, was dedicated to him. The octagonal dome was the work of Giuliano da Sangallo and was built in the years 1499-1500. The statue of the Virgin Mary, made of embossed and gilded copper, is on the top of the dome’s lantern. Next to the white Istria stone facade, completed in 1587, stands the elegant bell tower (1750-55) by Luigi Vanvitelli. The shrine of the Holy House is positioned under the dome, faced with marble and with statues and reliefs, a masterpiece of 16th century sculpture. The highly evocative interior is a destination for pilgrims who come from all over the world to pray before the statue of the Black Madonna. 

The Chapel of the Annunciation was decorated with frescoes by Federico Zuccari, the sacristies of San Marco and San Giovanni by Melozzo da Forlì and Luca Signorelli, the ceiling and the roof of the Sala del Tesoro by Pomarancio. The Museum and Picture Gallery of the Holy House of Loreto, housed in the Apostolic Palace, preserves paintings, sculptures, tapestries and majolicas from the Sanctuary and donated to the Holy House in the course of the centuries. The later works by Lorenzo Lotto, who died in Loreto in around 1556, stand out in the collection of paintings. 

The Holy House Treasure includes valuable works of very refined jewellery.

Tolentino is situated in the heartland of the southern-central Marche and is a thriving medieval town set in rolling hills. It is surrounded by a long stretch of thirteenth-century walls.  
The handsome Basilica of St Nicholas of Tolentino has a valuable portal, a mix of Gothic flamboyant and early Renaissance style. The Augustinian cloister dates back to the first half of the fourteenth century. The most remarkable parts of the basilica are the grandiose Giottoesque frescoes in the gothic Cappellone di San Nicola ("Chapel of St. Nicholas") - vivid masterpieces of the 14th century, one of the most striking works of art in the Marche, made by Pietro da Rimini and his scholars. Must see attractions are also  the ex-voto Museum and the Ceramics Museum. In Piazza della Libertà there's the bell tower of the Church of San Francesco; it has become the symbol of the town,  thanks to the clock in four quadrants, with the moon phases,  the astronomical time, the days of the weeks and the months. You can't miss: Sangallo Palace, home to the International Museum of Caricature and Humour in Art; Parisani Bezzi Palace, where the Treaty of Tolentino between Napoleon Bonaparte and the Papal States was signed in February 1797; the cathedral dedicated to the patron saint of Tolentino, San Catervo, housing the sarcophagus of the saint; the eighteenth-century Teatro Vaccaj. Just east of Tolentino, the swallowtail battlements of the Castello della Rancia come into view by the main road. This solid, square castle was built as a Benedictine abbey in the 12th century and transformed into a castle in 1357 for the ruling Da varano family. It has been the scene of many battles, the last of which was the defeat of Giocchino Murat, the King of Naples, whose first 19th century bid to unify Italy was thwarted by Austrian troops in May 1815 - the battle is re-enacted each May in a colourful event with hundreds of extras. Nearby is the Abbey of Fiastra, a noble old abbey, one of Italy's greatest example of Cistercian architecture.
Tolentino most popular dish is vincisgrassi, one of the region's best known pasta dishes, a kind of baked lasagna with a ragù, or meat sauce, that traditionally includes chicken giblets and sweetbreads or bone marrow. The most important event taking place in Tolentino during the year is the Biennial of Art, drawing artists and satirical cartoonists from all over the world.
The town also host the Festival of Choral Music "City of Tolentino", one of the most prestigious events of its kind.
Between late April and early May each year, it takes place the historical re-enactment Tolentino 815 with battles, camps and military events recalling the Battle of Tolentino in 1815.


The historic center, the monuments and the museums of the town are partially accessible. For information please write to Toll-free Number Marche Tourism (numeroverde.turismo@regione.marche.it) or contact the phone numbers listed below.

The Museum of the Basilica, that can be reached by staircase, houses numerous paintings and sculptures, precious ceramics, offerings and permanent Nativity exhibitions. The cloister is considered to be one of the most interesting in the Marche. Here the Saint's cell is found, now converted into the oratory of the Augustinian community that still preserves two early 16 th century frescoed lunettes, representing episodes of the saint’s life. 

The Sanctuary of Macereto is on the homonymous plateau of Macereto, near Visso, in the Sibillini mountains, and it’s an extraordinary example of Renaissance architecture in the Marche. People say that in the past miracles took place here so it became a place of widespread popular devotion.

It was built in 1529 by Giovan Battista da Lugano , although the original plan was most probably by Bramante, and it replaced the previous church erected in the year 1359. The construction was suspended when Lugano died and started again in 1553 under the guidance of Filippo Salvi da Bissone and finished in 1556.

The magnificent Sanctuary, covered in travertine, has an octagonal plan with the external structures on three sides in correspondence to the three entrances to the church.

The inner church plan is in the form of a Greek cross with four wings, each of them ending in four apses with niches. In the middle of the temple stands the ancient chapel that was covered in stone in 1585-1590.

In the apse of the main altar there’s a very nice chapel with stucco decorations and statues, and most notably, some artworks by Simone de Magistris painted from 1580-1582: the “Birth of Christ”, “The Worship of the Magi”, “The descent of the Holy Spirit”, the “Circumcision”, la “Nativity of the Virgin Mary”, and the “Flight to Egypt”.

The Sanctuary is currently damaged due to earthquake 2016. Some parts of the monument have been fenced.