Rieti, an ancient city, is the main town of the Sabine region, a land rich in history and traditions that witnessed the mythical Rape or the Sabines. Homeland of Marco Terenzio Varrone, it was conquered by Rome together with the rest of the region in 290 BC.

 

According to the Sabine historian, an important attraction of the city was lake Cutilia, considered the centre of Italy, UMBILICUS ITALIAE, by Dionigi d'Alicarnasso.
The Flavi family was also of Sabine origin, boasting great names such as the Emperors Vespasiano, Tito and Domiziano.

A valuable tempera painting by Rolland representing the Triumph of Vespasiano and Tito after the taking of Jerusalem decorates the dome of the theatre, a jewel of the nineteenth century in the city of Rieti.


Rieti is proud of its medieval town wall, erected in the middle of the thirteenth century when the city was a Guelphic commune and a safe refuge for Popes involved in the struggle with Imperial power. Today, monuments of this historical period are still preserved, such as the Cathedral, the bell tower, the solemn Romanesque Crypt where St. Francis prayed before founding the four sanctuaries of Greccio, Fonte Colombo, La Foresta and Poggio Bustone that form the crown of the Rieti valley.

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