The Holy Staircase to Loreto and Polish Cemetery

Part of the original pilgrimage to Loreto involved a climb along the 'holy staircase' of 330 steps from the valley up to town. You can still make the ascent to arrive from the station to enter through the brick arched Porta Marina gate. Shaded in part by umbrella pines, there are views that open up over the countryside and the Adriatic Sea, with the hump of the Conero promontory visible, while above the massive dome of the sanctuary looms to beckon you on.

Along the way is the solemn Polish Cemetery, the resting place for 1,112 soldiers who died in the Battle of Ancona while fighting to liberate Italy from the Nazi troops. It is a haunting and hollowed place.

There are 15 shrines all along the route with bronze relief sculptures depicting the mysteries of the rosary.