Rieti

What to see?

The characteristic historic center is surrounded by walls of medieval origin dating back to the 13th century, that are considered among the most impressive and best preserved in Lazio. They encircle the city on the northern side and form an effective defensive system along with the Velino River. Five gates open along the walls: Porta d 'Arci, to the east; Porta Conca, to the north, which still preserves the wooden shutterss of the 16th century; Porta San Giovanni, to the north, at the end of Via Pennina which constitutes the north-south axis of the historic centre together with Via Roma; Porta Cintia, to the north-west, was destroyed during the Second World War and then replaced by two buildings in the rationalist style; Porta Romana is located to the south, beyond the river, along the Via Salaria. Another Roman construction of considerable importance is the bridge over the Velino, which was the terminal part of a viaduct characterized by rampant arches developed under the current Via Roma in the direction of the ancient Porta Romana. The remains of the ancient Roman bridge are still visible below the modern bridge. Some parts of the ancient viaduct can be seen in the underground of houses visible in Via Roma. Among the most famous and certainly unmissable medieval buildings is the entire picturesque complex including the bell tower of 1252, the Cathedral, the Papal Palace and the Arch of Boniface VIII. The Papal Palace now houses the grandiose cross vaults dating back to 1283. The Cathedral was begun in 1109 and in 1157 the crypt, that is still intact, was consecrated, while the upper church, completed in 1225, was internally modified in 1639 when chapels had already been added by making openings in the two side aisles. In addition to the Papal Palace (1283), which also preserves a magnificent hall, and the characteristic arch of Boniface VIII (1298), the deconsecrated Church of San Domenico is very interesting for its architectural structure and frescoes dating back to various eras, including a good composition of 1441 by Liberato da Rieti. Other remarkable churches are the 14th-century Church of Sant'Agostino; the Church of San Francesco, with a beautiful portal of the 14th-century and frescoes dated 15th and 16th-centuries. Many important palaces deserve to vi visited, namely, Palazzo Vecchiarelli by Carlo Maderno, Palazzo Vincentini (now Palace of Government) with the picturesque Loggia del Vignola (16th century), Palazzo Secenari, Palazzo Zapparelli and Palazzo Sanizi. The former Palazzo del Podestà (14th century) was enlarged and modified in the 17th century for the construction of the first seminary established in the world after the Council of Trent, while the Palazzo Comunale, housing the City Hall, is characterized by an elegant facade by Filippo Brioni (18th century) and the side that faces Via della Pescheria dating back to the 13th century. Visiting Rieti it is impossible to ignore the four most famous Franciscan Shrines: Greccio, Fonte Colombo, Poggio Bustone and La Foresta scattered along St. Francis’ Path that winds through the Rieti Plain and retraces the steps of the poor man of Assisi in the Holy Valley. The Path, about 80 km. long, is divided into eight stages and also touches the centre of Rieti. Since 2003 it has been equipped with signs that help pilgrims to orient themselves along the way. A special "Passport", which attests the actual completion of the journey, is given to all those who start the journey and who affix the appropriate stamp at each stage. Other churches to visit include the Church of San Domenico, built in 1266. Today the Convent of San Domenico (cloister of the Beata Colomba and oratory of St.  Peter the martyr) is part of the Verdirosi barracks and to access it, only on pre-established days, a permit is required. The church of San Francesco, built in 1253, overlooks the homonym square; it was the second church to be dedicated to the cult of the Saint, after the basilica of Assisi. Made in Romanesque-Gothic style, it has a very simple stone facade, whose main door is surmounted by a bezel and a small rose window. The interior has three naves, with a trussed roof that replaces the original baroque vault collapsed during the earthquake of 1898. The Church of Sant'Antonio Abate, commissioned to Vignola in 1570 and completed in the 17th century, is part of a 14th-century architectural complex that also included a hospital and a cemetery; today the access is forbidden to the public due to ongoing restoration work. The Church of Santa Lucia, founded in 1253, thanks to the interest of Blessed Angelo Tancredi, is the result of interventions dating back to the first half of the 18th century. The church of San Rufo is located in the small homonym square, the place corresponding to the geographical the center of Italy (Umbilicus Italiae). The church has early medieval origins, but the building currently visible dates back to 1748 and is the work of Melchiorre Passalacqua. The exterior is in neoclassical style, while the interior is baroque. The former Church of Santa Scolastica, built between 1696 and 1717 on a design by Francesco Fontana, is the only church in Rieti characterized by a Greek cross plan; today it is deconsecrated and is the seat of the homonym Auditorium. Visitors can’t ignore the Flavio Vespasiano Theatre, inaugurated on 20 September 1893, after ten years of work and retouching under the direction of the Milanese architect Achille Sfondrini, who was inspired by the opera house of Rome that he himself had created in the previous decade. For the interior, he took inspiration from the Verdi theatre he had already built in Padua. At the entrance is the foyer, an atrium dominated by five pillars, often also used as a venue for temporary exhibitions. Inside there are busts and tombstones that recall the major artists who have performed in the theatre, above all the baritone Mattia Battistini. The ceiling of the foyer is decorated with a tempera oval depicting the Allegory of Music, created in 1892 by the Roman painter Federico Ballester. Inside, there is also a tempera depicting the Muses, made in 1916 by Antonino Calcagnadoro. Other decorations are by Giuseppe Casa. The main hall has 230 red armchairs divided in two by a central corridor. On the perimeter there are three orders of boxes for a total of 72 boxes, 24 per floor, surmounted by a loggia, while in front of the stage, at the level of the second order of boxes and immediately above the entrance stands out the royal box, decorated on the ceiling by a tempera oval by Giuseppe Casa, depicting three putti; the balcony is adorned with a stucco bas-relief showing the image of Giuseppe Verdi. The balconies of the second and third order of boxes, as well as that of the loggia, are decorated with putti and stucco. Rieti is also home to two important museums. The Civic Museum consists of a Historical-Artistic section, located in the City Hall, while an Archaeological section, is located a short distance away in the former Monastery of Santa Lucia. The Diocesan Museum of Ecclesiastical Heritage is a museum that includes the Museo del Tesoro del Duomo (housed in the baptistery of the Cathedral), a museum of liturgical furnishings (located in rooms adjacent to the Crypt of the Cathedral), a lapidary (located in the vestibule that leads from the crypt to the Bishop's Palace) and the Diocesan Picture Gallery (set up in the audience hall of the Bishop's Palace).

La piana reatina

Always considered the beating heart of the territory, the Rieti Plain extends for about 90 square kilometres and includes the municipalities of Rieti, Contigliano, Greccio, Colli sul Velino, Labro, Morro Reatino and part of the municipalities of Rivodutri, Poggio Bustone, Cantalice and Monte San Giovanni in Sabina. Known since ancient times for its abundance of water, the Rieti Plain originated from the drying up of Lake Velino with the reclamation of the Conca Reatina (traditionally attributed to the consul Manio Curio Dentato) that partially emptied the lake. Because of its fertility, Varro, Pliny and Virgil called it the "pink district". Historical crops were vegetables, cereals and ford, used to dye fabrics of blue. Agriculture, therefore, has always been one of the predominant activities in this territory. The most excellent cultivation was represented by wheat: in fact, the “original Rieti”, the native wheat variety of the Rieti Plain, is characterized by an extraordinary resistance to rust that, between the 19th and 20th centuries, made it one of the most widespread and sought-after types of wheat throughout Italy. A radical change in the crops grown in the Rieti Plain took place only at the end of the 19th century, thanks to the innovative drive of the large landowners of the area, the Potenziani. The birth of the sugar factory in 1873 (the first in Italy) led to the introduction of sugar beet in the Plain.