Loreto
During our recent trip to Italy we spent a day visiting Loreto. The town itself consists of little more than one long narrow street, lined with shops for the sale of rosaries, medals, crucifixes and similar objects. Loreto draws about 4 million visitors a year, many of which are Catholics. Why? Because this the location of the Holy House of Loreto which is believed to be the very home in which the Virgin Mary lived, conceived and raised the young Jesus. According to Catholic tradition, the Holy House came under threat during the turmoil of the Crusades, so in 1291, angels miraculously translated the house from its original location to a site in modern-day Croatia. An empty space was left in Nazareth, while a small house suddenly appeared in a field. The bewildered parish priest, brought to the scene by shepherds who discovered it, had a vision in which the Virgin Mary revealed it was her former house. On December 10, 1294, the house was again moved by angels because of the Muslim invasion of Albania. It landed first in Recanti, Italy, but was shortly thereafter moved for a third time to its present location in Loreto. As you might expect, this story has been examined, re-examined, and debated. It’s pretty easy to find the points and counter points, but all of this makes the Loreto more interesting.
As with many of our tours we arrived at walled area on a hill. We found a parking spot and from there we could see views of the Adriatic and much of the countryside. Loreto is about 341 feet above sea level. Although we were already up pretty high, we has a way to go. We walked around a corner and up a hill to the entrance. As we approached we passed quite a few souvenir shops. One had a great wind sock display.
We walked through the main gate and found ourselves in a piazza. The architecture inside was very impressive. From this spot we begin wandering around taking in the scenery and reading the inscriptions. After while we took a lunch break. After that the the sight seeing continued for about another hour. Loreto doesn’t take a long time to see. The town is actually quite small.
Before we left I picked up an interesting book about Loreto. It goes into detail about the various investigations about the town’s history. The book suggests that the house was actually moved from Nazareth, but rather than being moved by angels, it was moved by a ship captain and his family having an Italian last name the translates to “Angel”.
Filed under: Italy on November 20th, 2007 | No Comments »
Our drive out was very scenic. The landscape is very hilly and the area is very rural. We drove through small towns and by farm land and wooded areas. The roads took us up and down small mountains and it was common to see walled sections at the higher spots. One road took us by an old castle. We spent most of the ride trying to talk while taking in the scenery.
It was still morning when we pulled into the parking lot. We parked in an olive garden between the trees - seriously. While my son and his wife were unloading the baby carriage, I looked around at the scenery. It was great in all directions, but the most interesting was Assisi’s religious structures in the distance. This is where the walking started.
As we climbed higher we started noticing that the streets were becoming more crowded. It was Saturday and perhaps weekends drew a larger head count. This wasn’t a problem until we wanted to stop for lunch. All of the eating places were small and had a long wait. We asked a couple of locals if there were other restaurants. The pointed to a section that went even higher. So again we climbed only to find another waiting line. But, we found more great views!
Many, if not most of us, tend to get up and go for a walk around the neighborhood at some point in the day - after breakfast, before dinner, etc. During our two week stay in Italy, we find ourselves doing the same thing. My son lives in Calcinelli with his wife and daughter. Calcinelli isn’t far from Ancona and Fano.
The houses look different. All houses, at least in this area, are block and stucco formations with a red “half-pipe” type roof - most have more than one story. Most houses have a fenced yard with a gate in the front with the fence separating the sidewalk from the font lawn. The gates are generally very attractive and add to the overall appearance of the house.
All the cars are small, some are tiny. Fiats and Alpha Romeos are common. So are Volkswagons, Audis, and Mercedes. The two vehicles most likely to attract a non-Italian’s attention are the Smart Car and the Ape. The Smart Car is an extremely small two passenger car and the Ape is basically a motorcycle made into a tiny pickup truck.
Please keep in mind that what I’m describing is just a neighborhood walk in one area. (I’ll discuss a couple of walled city walks later.) Italy has a many different regions and different sections to walk within each region. All are worthwhile - if only there was more time.
At the end of this month we’ll be in Calcinelli, Italy to visit our son Scott, his wife Elisa, and our grand daughter Matilde. Calcinelli a small section of Saltara (Calcinelli di Saltara) near Ancona. It’s located close to the Adriatic coast of Italy but its far enough inland to offer great views of the hilly countryside. (See the yellow are of the map.) The area near their house in Calcinelli offers excellent walking areas as does the coastal town of Fano. In a short drive we can visit walled cities such as Urbino and San Marino. (Well actually San Marino isn’t a city, it’s a tiny country.)
The area we’re visiting is in the region of Marche, not far from Tuscany, and it has similar scenery. The routine will be to start the day with a walk before breakfast. The morning plans, well we have made morning plans yet. But in the afternoon we’ll either visit some of the walled cities or just hang around with our grandchild. At night we’ll toggle between going out to eat and eating in. Both Elisa and Scott are excellent cooks.
Basically it will be a low to moderate activity vacation - which is fine. It’s very relaxing and its always interesting because of where it is. The last time we stayed there I would get up early and start walking to uptown Calcinelli. The walk on the other side of the main street offers several long scenic walks. I would walk for a couple of hours then try to discover a way back using a different route. (I carried a cell phone in case I really messed up.) Not being able to communicate with anyone (due to a lack of language skills) and the quietness of the area, the walk is virtually done in total silence. There’s plenty of time to get exercise, fresh air, and relaxation.
My son and his family live in the community of Calcinelli. The nearest larger city is my daughter in law’s home town of Fano on the Adriatic coast, then Ancona which is shown on the map to the left. This puts them on the eastern side of Italy roughly half way between Rome and Venice. Calcinelli is just far enough away from the coast enough to be part of the rolling landscape similar to what the Tuscan region is known for.
The walk started after finding a tall set of stairs near the main street. From the top stair I could see all of Calcinelli and a few other areas. From this point on, this was more like a country walk. From there I followed a road which continued to climb the hill. I followed that road noticing that farmland started appearing on my right. A few large homes appeared on my left.
snow still on it. Next there were open fields and wooded areas. I chose a road which took me downhill and seemed to follow the line of the hills on the right. At the bottom of the hill there was a house to my left, a very old yet well kept farm house. An aging man was tending to a small garden in his side yard. The right side of his house had a few rows of Olive trees and the remaining areas of the property were yielding wheat. Then for about a mile it was just open fields with hundreds of poppies in bloom.
After the fields, the next views were of a couple of farms, one of each side of the street. The one on the right seemed to have the most crops. Somewhat near the road was the owner’s house protected by a set of gates and a decorative cement and iron fence. Large trees shaded the house and there was a neatly planted set of Olive trees, then a variety of other crops - including grapes. I took another look at the house across the street. Then I realized that its setting was much grander. That house was high on a hill, near a vineyard. The Olive trees seemed to form a small forest, and his crops were changing the color and texture of the fields. I took another picture.
Between these two farms, I didn’t see anybody working. I didn’t even see or hear a dog or cat. All I could hear was a few birds and the breeze. The road turned and went through a patch of woods putting me in view of a sloping meadow and more hills. As you look at the hills from a distance, you see large sections of trees, surrounded by areas of different shades of green. Within the green areas there are tan, brown, yellow, and orange houses with dark red roofs. Around the house you can see more shades of green then a combination of other colors making up the garden. More photos.
The road finally ended in Lucrezia, the next town over. I took another road back to avoid repeating the same route. When I returned I gave the walk a great review. My daughter in law called it La Passeggiata Perfetta (The Perfect Walk). I’m inclined to agree because when an experience is really good you keep thinking about it. Well, I’m still thinking about it.
