Rieti

Rieti is a small city in the region of Lazio in central Italy. It has a population of close to 50,000 and is the capital of the province of Rieti. The beauty of the landscape and the city's quietness, still uninvolved by mass tourism, make it a livable place and a favorite destination for many weekend tourists, coming mainly from Rome.

Understand
Despite being north of Rome, Rieti has a lot more in common with Southern Italy than with Northern Italy, both by culture and by the historically poor economic standard. It is not a mountain town, but the closeness to the Apennines and the bad roads make it seem more distant and less reachable than it really is.

It has an ancient and lasting relationship with Rome, but has equally strong (or even stronger) ties with Umbria (mainly Terni) and Abruzzo (mainly L'Aquila). Until 1927, Rieti's territory wasn't even part of Lazio, being divided between Umbria and Abruzzo. Therefore, despite its current administrative placement in Lazio, it has more similarities with the quietness of Umbria and Abruzzo than with the chaotic metropolis of Rome.

The city centre rests on a small hilltop along the Velino River and overlooks the vast and fertile Rieti Plain or Holy Valley, almost entirely surrounded by mountains. The highest of them is Mount Terminillo, away, an important ski centre. It has a fast athletics circuit and hosts an annual IAAF Grand Prix event at which world records are often broken. For American basketball followers, it is famous as the childhood home of Kobe Bryant.

Long considered the center of Italy (Umbilicus Italiae) since Roman times, Rieti is renowned for its natural resources; nicknamed the "granary of Rome", still today its limpid springs provide about 80% of the capital's drinking water.

History
Rieti is a very ancient city, being founded even before Rome, and it is often called "mother of Rome". Legends state that Rhea Silvia, the mother of Rome's legendary founders Romulus and Remus, came from Rieti; she's depicted in the city emblem. Historically, Rieti belonged to the Sabines, a very powerful people, held as the direct ancestors of many Roman families, as per the Romans' famous myth of the abduction and rape of the Sabine women, which inspired several paintings and songs.

During the 13th century, it became a Papal seat. At that time, Rieti was the last city in the Papal States before the border with the Kingdom of Naples (which was at Cittaducale, a mere stone's throw away), and hence was an important military post. Afterwards, the city's importance declined. In the 20th century, as it became a provincial capital and the see of a small industrial district, it regained a role in the region, one of the province's few areas not to be depopulating. Still, its area remains marginal in Italy's politics and economics.

In addition to being difficult to label, Rieti does not possess a single famous monument or aspect, and its name is often overshadowed by the magnificence of nearby Rome. For all these reasons, it's a little-known city even among Italians: locals are often forced to explain to foreigners where Rieti is, and to correct the demonym: not "rietini", but "reatini". Try not to get it wrong, locals resent it.

Get in


Rieti is a bit away from Italy's main traffic routes: it is not crossed by any toll motorway (autostrada, green on the map), state roads ( blue on the map) are far to be uprated to a double carriageway standard, and the only train link is a lesser, almost forgotten railway.

However, despite the lacking infrastructures, Rieti is still fairly easy to access, since it is only away from Rome.

By car

 * Coming from Rome or from Southern Italy, take the Autostrada A1 toll motorway towards Florence, enter the "Diramazione Roma Nord" branch (Autostrada A1dir Italia.svg), then exit at Fiano Romano (before passing the "Roma Nord" toll booth). Follow directions to "Passo Corese" to enter a short dual carriageway shunt (Strada Statale 4dir Italia.svg). At the end of the dual carriageway trait, you'll find yourself on state road no. 4 "Via Salaria" (Strada Statale 4 Italia.svg), which leads straight to Rieti after about 45 minutes.
 * Coming from the north (Milan, Florence, etc) take the Autostrada A1 toll motorway (Autostrada A1 Italia.svg) and exit at Orte. Then follow the dual carriageway state road to Terni (Strada Statale 675 Italia.svg) for about 20 minutes. East of Terni, take the exit to Rieti to enter the state road no. 79 (Strada Statale 79 Italia.svg), which will lead you to Rieti in about half an hour.

By train
A bit complicated. Surprising as it may be, there is no railway to Rome: politicians have been promising such railway to the local population for over a century, but its funding is not foreseen anytime soon. Instead, Rieti has a less useful and important line, the outdated and underused railway which leads to Terni (Umbria) or L'Aquila (Abruzzo), which is operated with old and rather dirty diesel railcars, although it has a scenic and daring route through the Apennines. Rieti's is north of the mediaeval city centre, just outside the city walls,  from the main Vittorio Emanuele square.
 * Going from Rome to Rieti by train usually requires to take a train to Terni: they start from Rome’s Tiburtina or Termini station, and destination may appear on timetable as "Perugia" or "Ancona" (all of them stop in Terni). Then you have to get off in Terni and wait for the next diesel railcar to Rieti; destination may appear on timetable also as "L'Aquila" or "Antrodoco Centro" (all of them are ok, since all stop in Rieti). There are two direct Rome-Rieti scheduled trains each direction every day, operating from Monday to Friday. These trains spare you having to wait in Terni, but are still slower and less convenient than buses, taking a little less than two hours, and costing €8.40 for each passenger as of October 2018. Rieti's railway line is closed every year, just when many tourists could be willing to visit, from the end of July until the end of August; in that period, trains get replaced by buses, but they're not recommended, since they're even slower than the already slow train.



By bus
A direct line is run by regional company COTRAL, with a bus every half an hour during working days or every hour on Sunday or holidays; it uses much more modern vehicles and is quite comfortable, unless it gets trapped in Rome's terrible traffic. The COTRAL bus starts from Rome's Tiburtina railway station and leaves you in Rieti's, just outside the train station. The ride lasts around one hour and a half or a little more, depending on traffic; the ticket is around €5, and can be bought in most newsstands and tobacconists (tabaccheria), asking for a "fascia D" Cotral ticket.

By plane
There is no commercial airport in Rieti; nearest large airports are Rome's Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino and Ciampino. If you plan to land there, first see here how to get to Rome (it is advised using the FL1 rail line from Fiumicino to the Tiburtina train station), then use train or buses described before to reach Rieti. If you own a small private aircraft, you can land in Rieti's airfield.

By boat
Nearest ferry or cruising ship port is Civitavecchia. To get to Rieti from Civitavecchia by public transport, first go to Rome (see how), then reach Rieti.

By bus

 * To reach Rieti's suburbs or nearby landmarks, you can use the urban bus service run by municipal company ASM. The ticket for a single ride is €0.90 and can be bought in most newsstands, cafes or tobacconists (tabaccheria). The is south of the city centre, far from the COTRAL bus terminal, but a mere  from the Roman Bridge. Useful lines include the 333 line to Fonte Colombo, the 114 line to La Foresta, and the 513 line to Mount Terminillo.

On foot
Rieti's mediaeval city centre is quite small and easy to walk, if you're not too tired. It's better to leave the car outside the city walls, since there is little parking space inside the old town, and traffic is subject to limitations on certain areas (zona a traffico limitato or ZTL).

Main square
Immediately out of the train and COTRAL bus station, before crossing the street on the crosswalks, you will see the Nearest city gate is
 * After crossing the street, the

After a while, you will be in the main square, piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, the highest point of the city. Notable elements in the square include:


 * Palazzo Comunale also hosts the
 * Palazzo Comunale also hosts the

From the main square to west
Via Cintia goes downhill until the northwestern Porta Cintia city gate. Sights include:







From the main square to east


Going east from the main square, Via Garibaldi goes downhill until the eastern Porta d'Arci city gate. Sights include:


 * In the same square, you will also find
 * In the same square, you will also find





From the main square to south
Via Roma, a street filled of shops and boutiques, goes downhill until reaching the Velino riverside. Sights include:




 * Remains of the



Eat

 * Il Nido del Corvo is in the small village of Greccio on the left of the road from Rieti to Terni. Specialized in local dishes, it's on the edge of a hill, with great views of the surrounding countryside.

Dudas Epicurateca is a wine bar/enoteca in the old city, that has a lovely outdoor terrace with stunning views of the surrounding area. The food is mainly small dishes based on local produce, the wine list extensive. The owner will help with suggestions and will make combinations to order. An {almost) hidden gem. Via dei Crispolti 26.

Connect

 * Several areas in the city centre are covered by the municipal Wi-Fi network called "RietiFree", which lets you surf the internet for free; you are required to sign up at your first connection.
 * Several areas in the city centre are covered by the municipal Wi-Fi network called "RietiFree", which lets you surf the internet for free; you are required to sign up at your first connection.

Go next

 * Skiing is available at nearby Monte Terminillo.
 * There are several national parks in the area and many opportunities for walks.
 * Holy Valley of Saint Francis around Rieti.
 * Marmore Waterfall and Lake of Piediluco