Loreto, San Gabriele and the Picenoa three-day itinerary for pilgrims and the curious.

Le Marche and neighbouring Abruzzo are a land of ancient pilgrimage. The Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy House of Loreto — one of the most important Marian destinations in Italy (its basilica built between 1469 and 1587) — is less than an hour's drive from San Benedetto del Tronto. The Sanctuary of San Gabriele dell'Addolorata at the foot of the Gran Sasso d'Italia — among the 15 most-visited sanctuaries in the world according to Vatican rankings, with over 2 million pilgrims a year — is 75 km away. Below, a three-day itinerary that combines the two sanctuaries with the lesser-known Piceno (its villages, churches, lace and the Sentina Reserve), for anyone looking for a complete spiritual stay.

Day 1 · arrival + the Sentina Reserve in the morning + SBT in the afternoon

Arrive in the morning, check in at La Tana, drop the bags and settle in. The first day is for easing in — there's no need to rush at the sanctuaries. A suggestion for the afternoon: a walk to the Molo Sud (10 minutes on foot from the house), a stroll along the seafront with a view of the blue lighthouse, and a light fish dinner in the historic centre's osterie. For anyone who's arrived with energy to spare: the Sentina Reserve (6 km by bike, 25 minutes) for the calm of the lagoon before settling into the rhythm of the pilgrimage.

Day 2 · Loreto · the Holy House

An early start from SBT (7:30–8:00 is ideal) to reach Loreto by 9:30. The sanctuary opens at 6:15 and the morning Masses run between 7:00 and 11:00 (eight in succession, usually crowded on Sundays). For anyone wanting to attend a Mass, the advice is to arrive 15 minutes early to find a seat in the basilica.

• ·Distance from SBT: 50 km · 50–60 minutes by car via the SS16 Adriatica and the Loreto/Porto Recanati exit
• ·Address: Piazza della Madonna 1, 60025 Loreto (AN)
• ·Opening hours: 6:15 → 19:30 daily (reduced on certain days of the year · check the official site)
• ·Weekday Masses: 7:00, 8:30, 10:00, 11:00, 17:00, 18:30
• ·Sunday and feast-day Masses: 7:00, 8:30, 10:00, 11:30, 12:00, 17:00, 18:00, 19:00, 21:00
• ·Confessions: 8:00–12:00 and 15:00–19:00 on weekdays; 7:00–12:00 and 15:00–19:30 on Sundays and feast days
• ·Eucharistic adoration: several times a week, calendar on the site
• ·Angelus and Rosary: midday on weekdays; the Rosary on Saturday at 21:00

What to do after the visit (afternoon):

• ·The Pontifical Museum of the Holy House: sacred art from the 14th to the 20th century, entry €5, concession €3. Open until 19:00.
• ·Piazza della Madonna: in front of the basilica, one of the most distinctive sacred squares in Italy, with monuments honouring popes and kings.
• ·Lunch in Loreto: the osterie near the sanctuary serve simple Marche cooking; for anyone travelling with a group, book ahead.
• ·Religious-goods shops: the town of Loreto is famous for decorated ceramics, devotional objects and religious books.
• ·Return to SBT in the late afternoon (16:30–17:30) and a quiet dinner.

Day 3 · San Gabriele dell'Addolorata + Ascoli Piceno

The third day is longer but richer. An early start (7:30 from SBT) to reach the Sanctuary of San Gabriele dell'Addolorata by 9:30. You visit in the morning (allow 2–3 hours including Mass). Lunch in the area, or head back towards Ascoli Piceno. A visit to Ascoli Piceno in the afternoon (Piazza del Popolo, the basilica of San Francesco, Caffè Meletti). Back to SBT in the evening.

Ascoli Piceno is 50 km from the San Gabriele sanctuary (45 minutes by car via the SS81 Piceno Aprutina) and 35 km from SBT (35 minutes via the Salaria). The combination of San Gabriele in the morning and Ascoli in the afternoon works well for anyone wanting to make the most of the day.

• ·Cathedral of Sant'Emidio: Ascoli's cathedral, holding the relics of the city's patron saint (a spiritual interlude among the squares of the historic centre)
• ·Piazza del Popolo: one of the most beautiful in Italy by common critical consent, recently described as well as "an open-air drawing room"
• ·Basilica of San Francesco: a monumental 13th-century church in sandstone, facing onto Piazza del Popolo
• ·Caffè Meletti: a historic café from 1907 under the square's arcades · for an aperitivo with the local anisetta at the end of the day
• ·Pinacoteca Civica: a collection of Italian sacred art, with works by Crivelli, Titian and Van Dyck (in some rooms)

The advantage of staying in SBT versus at the sanctuaries

For pilgrims used to Rome or other sanctuaries, it's worth weighing it up. Staying inside Loreto or San Gabriele has its advantages: less travelling in the morning, the chance to attend the earliest Masses. Staying in SBT has these:

• ·Cost: accommodation by the sanctuaries doubles its prices on feast days; SBT is a seaside town with stable rates all year round
• ·Food: the restaurants near the sanctuaries serve mostly passing tourists; in SBT you eat fish from a real port
• ·Space: La Tana, 110 m² plus a garden, is the size of a house, not a hotel room
• ·Combination: you can visit both sanctuaries plus Ascoli and the Piceno villages in a single trip, with SBT as your working base
• ·The sea: even for pilgrims, a day by the sea to unwind at the end of the stay is very welcome

What to bring on pilgrimage · a practical note

• ·Clothing: shoulders and knees covered to enter the basilica (the classic rule, applied with some firmness at Loreto and San Gabriele)
• ·Comfortable shoes: there's a lot of walking, especially in the queues to reach the Holy House
• ·Water and snacks: the sanctuaries have bars inside, but with long queues on busy days
• ·A rosary or other devotional object, if praying with one matters to you
• ·An ID card for anyone travelling in a group (handy for group check-in at booked lunches)
• ·For our house: animals always on the lead in the garden · see /casa/animali-benvenuti if you're travelling with your dog

When to go · the dates to avoid and the ones to seek out

The sanctuaries are very crowded on feast days: at Loreto the Feast of the Nativity of Mary (8 September) and the Madonna of Loreto (10 December) are the busiest days (hundreds of thousands of pilgrims in town). At San Gabriele, 27 February (San Gabriele) and the last Sunday of August are the annual peaks. For a quieter stay, avoid these periods and come in the spiritual low season: January–March (Easter excepted) and October–November. The house offers the best quality of stay in these weeks.

Cross-links · to extend the pilgrimage

Why it's worth combining the two sanctuaries

Loreto and San Gabriele represent two different and complementary spiritual traditions: Loreto is the great Marian sanctuary of central Italy, Renaissance in age, built on a 13th-century tradition of angelic translation. San Gabriele, by contrast, is a relatively modern Passionist sanctuary (the order arrived in 1847, San Gabriele was canonised in 1920), keeper of a more contemplative spirituality bound up with redemptive suffering. Visiting them together on a short trip is something many Italian pilgrims do once in a lifetime — and one that, with a base in SBT, becomes feasible in three days.