Rieti: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
English|
EUR 80 - 200 Park Hotel Villa Potenziani
 Villa Potenziani is set at the top of San Mauro Hill, overlooking the historic centre of Rieti. Once a noble residence, it features a swimming pool an… MoreEUR 50 - 200 Quattro Stagioni
 Enjoy a relaxing and affordable stay in this 4-star hotel set within a 19th-century building in the historic centre of Rieti, near the ancient church … MoreEUR 70 - 260 Relais Villa D´Assio
 The Relais Villa d’Assio is set in a renovated 18th century villa, preserving its original features and surrounded by the ruins of the Roman Villa o… MoreEUR 46 - 112 Hotel Ristorante Serena
 Enjoy great food and a comfortable stay at Hotel Ristorante Serena. It has a panoramic view across the picturesque town of Rieti and is only 500 metre… MoreEUR 46 - 85 Hotel Quinto Assio
 Hotel Quinto Assio offers free parking, and rooms with free Wi-Fi and a free minibar. It is near the Emmezeta Shopping Centre in the industrial area o… MoreEUR 45 - 100 Hotel Miramonti
 Hotel Miramonti is set in the oldest property in Rieti, in the heart of the historic centre. Enjoy the beautiful view of the mountains from your balco… MoreEUR 50 - 150 Hotel President
 Hotel President is walking distance from Rieti’s historic centre. Set next to the 12th-century city walls, it offers free Wi-Fi and features a relax… MoreEUR 55 - 78 Hotel Cavour
 Hotel Cavour looks out over the river which crosses through Rieti’s old town and is located just 200 metres from the centre, close to tourist attrac… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rieti: Guide
Rieti (Reate in Latin (language)|Latin) is a town in Latium, Italy with a population of 41,394. It is the capital of province of Rieti|Rieti Province.
The city is placed on a small hilltop commanding a wide plain, at the southern edge of an ancient lake and by the side of a river (to be known as Mellinus and later Velino). Today only the small lakes of Ripasottile and Cantalice remain of the original basin.
History
Ancient era
Reate was originally a major site of the Sabine nation. After the Ancient Rome|Roman conquest, carried out by Manius Curius Dentatus in late 3rd century BC, the village became a strategic point in the early italic road network, dominating the "salt" track (Via Salaria) that joined Rome to the Adriatic Sea across the Appennine mountains.
Through a deep cut in the limestone at the northern edge of the valley, Curius Dentatus made the water of the lake flow away in the Nera river, then the wide area once occupied by the lake turned into a fertile plain, and the land was split by surveyors into square allotments, in the shape of a regular grid. The town itself was re-founded on the basis of orthogonal axes, and was fortified with strong walls all around; a stone bridge was laid across the Velino river, and a great viaduct was built to lead people and carts from the Salaria road up to the southern door of the town.
Roman Reate deserved several quotations in the Latin literature thanks to its flourishing soil, its valued asses, and some weird peculiarity of the surroundings, as wandering islands, roaming sources and hollow-subsurfaced fields. Cicero tells about litigation between Reate and Interamna for the lake drainage, and refers to the country houses (villae) that his friend Q. Axius owned in the plain.
Middle Ages
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Rieti suffered destruction by barbarians people, but was always an important gastaldate during the Lombard domination, as part of the Duchy of Spoleto. Under the Franks, it was capital of county. In the 9th and 10th centuries, it was sacked by the Saracens, and, in 1149, by the Norman king Roger II of Sicily.
The city was rebuilt with the help of the History of Rome#Medieval Rome|Roman commune, and from 1198 was also a free commune, of Guelph orientation, with a podestà of its own.
As a favourite Papal seat, Rieti was the place of important historical events: Constance of Hauteville married here by proxy Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Henry VI (1185); in the cathedral, in 1289, Charles I of Anjou was coronated King of Apulia, Sicily and Jerusalem by Pope Nicholas I. Pope Gregory IX celebrated here the canonization of St. Dominic (1234).
Late Middle Ages and modern era
After the Papal seat had been moved to Avignon, Rieti was conquered by the King of Naples, while inner struggles between Guelphs and Ghibellines began. In 1354 it was captured back by Cardinal Albornoz, and later was a feudal seignory of the Alfani family within the Papal States. In the following century a program of drying of the neighbouring plain was carried on, but this led to quarrels with the city of Terni.
Rieti was province capital of the Papal States from 1816 to 1860. After the unification of Italy, it was initially part of Umbria, being annexed to the Lazio in 1923. It became capital of province on January 2, 1923.
Main sights
The downtown of the ancient Sabine and Roman city should have been crowded with buildings, even showed baths (thermae): however, only scarce remainds of that were found during excavations in 19th and 20th century: the base of a big temple, the stone floor of the main square (forum), some concrete wall from private houses, concrete vaults, few statues, inscription and pottery items. As well as the bridge and the viaduct, of course.
Piazza San Rufo in Rieti is traditionally considered to be the exact centre of Italy (Latin Umbilicus Italiae).
Other sights include:
Also interesting are the sights in the Lake Lungo and Ripasottile Natural Preserve, and to the Mount Terminillo.
Rieti has a station on the Terni-L'Aquila railway.
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Rieti". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
the Cathedral, begun in 1109 over a pre-existing basilica, was consecrated in 1225 but almost wholly rebuilt in 1639. It has a great Romanesque bell tower from 1252. The entrance portico leads to a noteworthy portal from the 13th century. The interior, on Latin cross plan with a nave and two aisles, has mainly Baroque decorations. Notable is, at the altar, a statue of St. Barbara by Giannantonio Mari (1657), probably designed by Bernini. Other art pieces include a fresco by Antoniazzo Romano and canvases from 16th and 17th centuries. The crypt corresponds to the most ancient part of the church, consecrated in 1157. The Baptistery has an elegant baptismal font from the 15th century.
the Palazzo Vescovile ("Bishops Palace"), whose construction was begun in 1283. Noteworthy are the loggia, with some antique columns, and 8 Renaissance-style windows from 1532. The lower floor is occupied by the so-called "Volte del Vescovado", a great portico with two naves with Gothic arcades. The Grand Hall houses the Diocese Gallery.
the Palazzo Comunale ("Town Hall", 13th century, rebuilt in the 18th century), facing Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, a square corresponding to the ancient Roman forum. The Palace houses the Town Museum, with works by Antoniazzo Romano, Antonio Canova, Bertel Thorwaldsen and other artists.
the Palazzo del Governo, with a noble loggia from 1596.
the Bishop's Arch, a bridge built by Boniface VIII.
the church of St. Peter Martyr (13th century), with luxurious golden Baroque decorations. It has a Presentation of Christ to the Temple by Giovanni Battista Gaulli.
Palazzo Vicentini, attributed to Giuliano da Sangallo the Younger.
the Walls, dating from the first half of the 13th century, with carachteristical rounded or square towers.
the Gothic church of Sant'Agostino (13th century, restored in the 18th century). The portal has a fresco of Madonna with Child and St. Augustin and St. Nicholas (1354), of Senese school.
Santa Maria in Vescovio, a church built in the 8th century but variously restored up to the current 12th century Romanesque architecture|Romanesque appearance. The interior has a single nave and frescoes from the late 13th-early 14th centuries, depicting the Last Judgement and scenes from the Old and New Testament.
the church of St. Francis (begun in 1245, radically restored in 1636). The interior has a single nave. The original frescoes from the 14th-15th centuries are now in the Diocese Museum and in the Palazzo Vescovile.
the late Renaissance Palazzo Vecchiarelli, designed by Carlo Maderno.Notable natives of Rieti
Marcus Terentius Varro (116 BC|116 – 27 BC), Ancient Rome|Roman scholar and writer.
Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni (1657 – 1743), composer.
Renzo De Felice (1929 – 1996), historian of Fascism.
Twin cities
Itō, Shizuoka|Ito, Japan.Transportation
Rieti can be reached from the A1 (Rome-Florence) Motorway from the Orte gate, and then through the SS.79. The city is also connected to Rome by the ancient Via Salaria.External links
(in Italian (language)|Italian)