Loreto is situated on a hill overlooking the Adriatic Sea. The town grew around the Shrine of the Virgin Mary, for which it is renowned around the world. The Shrine is one of the most important and most visited shrines in the Catholic world.
The Cathedral of Loreto is one of the most important Gothic-Renaissance monuments in Italy and some of the greatest architects of the time were involved in its creation.
The Shrine protects the Holy House of the Virgin of Nazareth, the house where the Virgin Mary was born, lived and received the Annunciation.
In order to protect this important relic of Christianity appropriately, the church and the area surrounding it were conceived as a fortress.
Recanati, birthplace of Giacomo Leopardi in 1798 and Beniamino Gigli in 1890.