Located on a hill at a height of 369 metres above sea level, Loreto is currently one of the most isolated municipalities of the region. It is difficult to be reached especially in winter when the roads linking it to the nearby towns become almost impassable.
The name may come from the great number of laurel (laurus) woods in the area. Because of it strategic position, the fortress used to be an important guard outpost, constantly watched by sentinels and fortified by a big tower currently hosting primary schools.
Inside the building, a small Romanesque Church, dedicated to St. Lawrence, with a refined bell gable would stand out. Here, until 1171, the presence of a Prior and even three Canons was recorded. The latest restoration dates back to 1948.
The discovery of two bronze statuettes datable between the 3rd and the 2nd centuries B.C. proves that the area had been inhabited for a long time. Slightly later on, according to tradition, Bishop Terentian, martyrized in the 1st century A.D., would have appeared to a woman, St. Lorenza, to entrust her with his remains; his body had been glorified roughly forty years before.