Province of Ancona
The Sanctuary of the Holy House of Loreto is one of the most revered Marian sites in the world. According to tradition, the walls of the house of Nazareth where the Virgin Mary received the Annunciation are preserved here. The Basilica, begun in 1469, is a masterpiece of the Renaissance with interventions by Bramante, Sansovino, Sangallo il Giovane and Vanvitelli. The marble cladding of the Holy House, a work by Bramante, is sculpted by Andrea Sansovino. Loreto is the 'capital' of European pilgrimage.
Start of construction
1469
Architects
Bramante, Sansovino, Vanvitelli
Millenary port founded by the Greeks, with the Duomo of San Ciriaco and the Arch of Trajan.
Birthplace of Emperor Frederick II of Swabia and the composer Pergolesi.
Papermaking tradition since the 13th century. UNESCO Creative City.

In September 1860, Piedmontese troops defeated the papal army: a decisive day in the Marche’s annexation to the Kingdom of Sardinia.

The answer lies in the legend of the Holy House's flight and a devotion that became intertwined with the birth of modern aviation in the twentieth century.

In 1863, Paolo Soprani founded Italy's first accordion industry here. A workshop in the Marche grew into a district known around the world.

One of Europe's most important pilgrimage destinations preserves what tradition identifies as the Virgin Mary's house from Nazareth.