ABSTRACT
Francisco de Hollanda's 1538–40 drawing of Loreto (Figure 7.3.1), a pilgrimage destination located atop a promontory in what is today the Marches region of Central Italy, presents an aerial view of a large basilica and the surrounding village set into a scarcely populated landscape. 1 Across the composition, one can, with the help of a magnifying glass, discern only a handful of wayfarers perambulating around the walls that enclose the shrine. Meanwhile, the Adriatic Sea—one of the primary ways by which visitors reached Loreto, and thus an engine of its social and economic development—is here relegated to a visually indistinct register in the background, dotted by a few almost imperceptibly small boats.
