The best cycling routes around Greccio

The fountain is always accessible

Poggiobustone is located in the province of Rieti, it is the birthplace of Lucio Battisti. At the top of the town we find the beautiful Franciscan convent of San Giacomo

Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta, Rieti The Cathedral of Saint Mary, Mother of God The Cathedral of Rieti, dedicated to Santa Maria Madre di Dio and commonly known as the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, was rebuilt on the foundations of the early Christian basilica, documented since the fifth century, between 1109 and 1225. The lower basilica, consecrated in 1157 and striking for its sober and composed forms, is divided into nine naves supported by columns made from the rubble of ancient Roman buildings, among which stands out a milestone of the consular salaria. The upper basilica, in which the architectural lines of the Romanesque plan have remained intact, demonstrates the radical changes resulting from the adaptation of liturgical norms and the change in tastes and styles. Of particular value is the decoration of the main portal, which interprets the motif of acanthus spirals, with clear classical assonance, reinterpreted in the Christian iconography of the Tree of Life. Text / Source: Official Tourist Portal of the City of Rieti https://www.visitrieti.com/2020/01/25/la-cattedrale-di-s-maria-madre-di-dio/

Umbilicus Italiæ - Centro d'Italia, Rieti / Geographical Center of Italy In Piazza San Rufo, Varronian tradition places the so-called Umbilicus Italiae, the geographical center of Italy, commemorated by a plaque. Piazza San Rufo is located amidst the imposing buildings of the historic center, which line the main streets Via Roma and Via Garibaldi. In the center of the square, a section of wall, a remnant of the Roman city's first city walls, can be seen beneath the pavement. The value of this area is commemorated by a plaque and a monument with a unique shape, located exactly in the center of the square and aptly called "la caciotta" (the caciotta) for its rounded and circular design. The work, created between the 1980s and 1990s following the city's twinning with the Georgian capital Tbilisi, appears to resemble the base of a column and features the design of the Italian peninsula on its surface, accompanied by the inscription "Umbilicus Italiae" (Umbilicus Italiae), which runs along half the circumference of the monument itself. Text / Source: Official Tourist Portal of the City of Rieti https://www.visitrieti.com/2020/01/25/rieti-umbilicus-italiae/

The three entrance portals to the cathedral and the bell tower maintain the original Romanesque style.

Via Roma is the most important historical street in Rieti, it connects Piazza Vittorio Emanuele to the Roman bridge, it was an ancient extension of the Via Salaria towards Rome.

Going down via Roma you reach the Velino bridge, known however by the same name as the one demolished in the thirties and placed, a little below, on the river bed: Roman bridge.

Shortly after the town of Castelfranco, there is a plaque commemorating a tragic news event many years ago, in which Marcella Mariani, winner of the Miss Italia 1953 competition, lost her life. The diva was the victim of a tragic plane crash during landing near Rieti. The accident occurred on 13 February 1955 and involved a Douglas DC-6 of the Belgian national airline Sabena. The plane crashed into the Acquasanta ridge on the slopes of Mount Terminillo. Unfortunately, all 29 people on board lost their lives in that accident.