Colli sul Velino
Colli sul Velino stands between crystal clear waters and gentle hills, where the Roman senator Quintus Assius hosted the erudite Marcus Terentius Varro, committed to resolving the dispute between Rieti and Terni regarding the area of the Lake Velino.
Population
524
Area
13 km²
Altitude
465 m
Where is it?
Colli sul Velino - with its 500 inhabitants - is a small hilltop village, just 17 km. away from Rieti, on the border with Umbria. Despite its brief institutional traition (it has been an autonomous municipality since 1962), it has a well-documented historic past. This ancient retreat of illustrious Romans, and battleground between Rieti and Terni populations, is mentioned in Varro's De re rustica, in Tacitus' Annales and in Cicero's Ad Atticum. Colli sul Velino was located on the last offshoot of Lake Velino, on the Latium side and in the area where Manio Curio Dentato dug a canal to drain the waters of the Velino into the Nera river, thus freeing the Rieti valley to and transforming the territory in a fertile agricultural area. Today in this large area - very populated also in the prehistoric period, as witnessed by important archaeological findings – it is still possible to see what remains from this huge drainage operation: the small Lake Ventina, close to the better known Lake Piediluco that, together with the Velino River and the Santa Susanna Canal, attract sports fishermen and nature lovers.
What to see?
Colli sul Velino can also be reached by bicycle, through the cycle path of the Rieti plain, along the path that runs along the Santa Susanna canal, or walking along the path of the Cammino di Francesco between Greccio and Poggio Bustone. We suggest to visit the remains of the villa of Quinto Assio, consisting of seven niches divided by limestone pillars and several underground rooms and tunnels. According to legend, this jewel of archaeology is guarded by snakes that would keep away possible treasure robbers. Continuing on an ideal historical and chronological path, the Torre di Morro Vecchio and the annexed ruined church of San Tommaso in Grumolo are also of great importance. This ancient fortification dates back to the 12th-13th century and belonged to a man named Raldo di Guittone. The fortress represented a strategic control point for both water and land routes located between the Rieti Plain and the Nera Valley, but it also provided a point of support for traders and pilgrims who, in times of flood, could reach it by boat. The Romanesque church dedicated to Santa Maria Maddalena, patron saint of Colli sul Velino, deserves a visit also for its splendid panoramic position: after the recent restoration it looks like a simple-looking rural church, surmounted by a small bell tower. Built around the year 1000, it was subjected to various renovations throughout the 12th century but still houses an ossuary kept inside. The interior of the more modern parish church, built in 1818, shows some works made in the 1990s by the master Franco Bellardi, including his “Last Judgment”. Although it is abandoned today, the church of San Lorenzo is still visible and deserves in any case a visit since, in the past, it has represented one of the most important places of worship for the inhabitants of Colli sul Velino.
