porto recanati
 
If you're not a fan of either Gigli or Leopardi, you may as well head straight to PORTO RECANATI , the nearest resort to Loreto. Its main street Corso Matteotti is headed by the turreted tower of a medieval castle; off it is a tiny old quarter of terraced cottages surrounded by hotels and apartment buildings. Apart from the beach, limited attractions include a sailing and windsurfing school (June-Aug) - details from the tourist office (summer Mon-Sat 9am-1pm & 4-7pm, Sun 9am-1pm; winter Mon-Sat 9am-1pm & 3-6pm; tel 071.979.9084) on the Corso - and four discos. When you tire of the beach you can visit an art gallery inside the castle (Mon-Fri 4-7pm; free), though sadly one of its two star attractions, a view of Venice attributed to Turner, was stolen in 1996; the other, a portrait of a peasant at work attributed to Miller, is still here however. Even better, the castle courtyard has an arena - a wonderfully atmospheric place to see films and theatre.

The cheapest hotel in town is the small, central one-star Cacciatore , at Corso Matteotti 11, (tel 071.979.9234; L90,000-120,000/¬46.48-61.98). Slightly pricier, but much more comfortable is the 17-room Bianchi Nicola Via Rosselli 2 (tel 071.979.9016; L120,000-150,000/¬61.98-77.47) or the Bianchi Vincenzo at Via Garibaldi 15 (tel 071.979.9040; L120,000-150,000/¬61.98-77.47) whose rooms have balconies overlooking the sea. Enzo at Corso Matteotti 21/23 (tel 071.759.0734; L150,000-200,000/¬77.47-103.29), is a glossy four-star. The Pineta campsite , to the south on Viale della Repubblica (tel 071.979.9237), is reasonably convenient and has four-person bungalows as well.

Porto Recanati is best known for its brodetto , a classy fish soup cooked with nine varieties of fish, spiced with saffron and served with squares of toast. One of the best places to try it is the restaurant inside the Bianchi Vincenzo hotel (closed to non-residents Mon) on the seafront - the chef is justifiably known as the l'uomo del brodetto (the "brodetto man") and conjures up other equally delicious dishes, including delicate seafood starters and a superb fish risotto. The mago del brodetto however (the "brodetto magician"), is the chef at the other Bianchi family hotel, Bianchi Nicola (also closed to non-residents Mon).