| Loreto | |
| Official Name: | Comune di Loreto |
| Coordinates: | 43.4389°N 13.6086°W |
| Region: | Marche |
| Province: | Ancona (AN) |
| Frazioni: | Costabianca, Grotte, Stazione, Villa Berghigna, Villa Costantina, Villa Musone, Villa Papa |
| Mayor: | Paolo Niccoletti |
| Area Total Km2: | 17.69 |
| Population Total: | 12278 |
| Population As Of: | 28 February 2009 |
| Population Demonym: | Loretani or Lauretani |
| Elevation M: | 127 |
| Saint: | Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary |
| Day: | 10 December |
| Postal Code: | 60025 |
| Area Code: | 071 |
Loreto ([1],[2] pronounced as /it/) is a hill town and comune of the Italian province of Ancona, in the Marche. It is most commonly known as the seat of the Basilica della Santa Casa, a popular Catholic pilgrimage site.
Loreto is located 127m (417feet) above sea level on the right bank of the Musone river and 22abbr=off0abbr=off by rail south-southeast of Ancona; like many places in the Marche, it provides good views from the Apennines to the Adriatic.
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.
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Italy. Loreto is twinned with:[3]
Mariazell, Austria
Częstochowa, Poland[3]
Lourdes, France[3]
Nazareth, Israel[4] [5]
Għajnsielem, Malta[7]