Loreto

This week we drove up to Loreto which is just south of Ancona off the A14. This town has a large basilica that is visible for many kilometers when traveling along the A14. The story goes that in the thirteenth century angels transported Mary’s stone house from the Holy Land to this hilltop. I have read that the building materials and building style used in this small stone house match those of the area around Nazareth, however the timing of this house appearing in Loreto also corresponds to a period when some Crusaders where returning to Europe.

Nonetheless, the Basilica surrounding Santa Casa is very ornate on the inside the house has been encased in elegantly carved marble. The adjoining Palazzo Apostolico houses artifacts donated to this Basilica while the fronting Piazza Santuario and neighboring streets hold various shops and booths selling religious articles to the many pilgrims that come to this town every year.

After Loreto we decided to drive south and through the town of Recanati and on to Mancerata which is a sizeable city on a hill. As we were driving around the walls of Mancerata we saw a Chinese restaurant and decided to stop for lunch as the choices of ethnic eateries in Ascoli Piceno is minimal. It was interesting that the menu included both Italian and Chinese dishes and we made sure to ask for our rice and meat dishes insieme, or together. After lunch we took a brief stroll through town but the shops were closed in the centro storico so we headed on our way back to the A14.