THE REATINO, THE SABINA, THE CICOLANO
THE THREE HISTORIC AREAS OF THE PROVINCE OF RIETI (Italy)

Monti della Laga and Lake Scandarello.

The province of Rieti, created in 1927, covers a area of 2749 square kilometres incorporating the historical districts of Reatino (the old inner Sabina), the Sabina Tiberina, and the Cicolano. The territory of the province is characterised by a great variety of landscape features: mountains, valleys, high plateaus, hills, flood plains, lakes, rivers, and streams, making up the elements of an ever-changing landscape which opens up new and pleasant aspects to the visitor at every turn. Just as remarkable is the unspoilt state of the natural landscape, practically free from pollution and smog. The Monti della Laga join to the mountain chain of the Gran Sasso, where there is the park of the same name, the Monti Reatini with Terminillo, the Monti Sabini which divide the Reatino and the Sabina proper and the Monti della Duchessa, where Lazio and Abruzzo meet, represent mountain habitats which are still fundamentally intact.
The major river and lake system of the area consists of the Salto, the Turano and the Scandarello, and the lakes of the same name formed when they were dammed, as well as Lakes Lungo and Ripasottile, (the "big eyes" of the Reatino plain) and the Rivers Tronto, the Velino, Salto, Turano and the Farfa in Bassa (or lower) Sabina. There are also many other smaller lakes, framed by enchanting valleys high in the mountains, or hidden in the folds of the landscape.
During the Quaternary period the River Velino (the Avens sabino of myth which gave its name to the Roman Aventino) formed a vast marshy basin in the Reatino plain, now reduced to Lake Lungo and Lake Ripasottile and several smaller strips of water. These last, together with the smaller mountain lakes such as Lake della Duchessa and Lake Rascino, Lake Ventina and the many small streams and rivers of the mountains make up the minor river system in Sabina.
Lake Piediluco, in the region of Umbria but very close to the borders of Rieti, is also a relic of the vast marshes which began to be drained by M C Dentato in 272 BC, when the quarry which gave rise to the waterfalls of the Cascata delle Marmore was opened.
The north-east area of the province, mostly mountainous, with high plateaus more than 1000 metres above sea level, such as those of Leonessa and Amatrice, contrasts with the soft rolling hills of the Sabina Tiberina, which are often picturesquely capped by medieval hill towns, or embroidered with olive groves and orderly vinyards. The River Tiber with its characteristic loops and bends closes to the south-west the historical territory of the Sabina, part of to the province of Rieti.

The richness of the architecture and art of the area reflects that of its natural resources. Seen as a whole, the Sabine landscape is typically characterised by many castles positioned, for reasons of security, defence and control of the territory, on the summits of hills or ridges. These are the fruit of the historical process of castellation, when feudal lords fortified much of the area with defensive walls, towers, bastions and keeps, which can still be seen today. Nowadays they are attractive to tourists not only for the fortresses but also for the medieval villages which sprang up around them, or which they were built to protect and which became well-known for their historical associations and their architectural value (Castle of Collalto, Roccasinibalda, Orvinio, Labro).


The original nucleus of the castles has today been expanded beyond the old walls creating an urban structure which has nothing to do with their medieval origins but which in general has not created a conflict between modern construction and the historical context in which it is found.

Castel of Labro


Traces of a centuries-old culture can be seen in the remains left by people and events which have shaped the political, religious and civil history of Italy. The Franciscan shrines, for example, and those connected with Franciscanism, are many -products of a faith and a way of life which affirmed itself in this area, so much so that the area was called "the second home of St Francis". In the many shrines of the province, it is possible to discover a rich historical and artistic heritage in the architecture, the decorations, the furnishings and the frescoes.
No less important are the many abbeys, including that of Farfa, where there is still a living atmosphere of profoundly aesthetic and mystical Christianity.
The monasteries, still very numerous, are themselves witness to the many religious orders founded in different eras, many of them with medieval origins, when the sense of the finite resolved itself into the certainty of the infinite for those who deserved it, and these played a role of primary importance in the diffusion of the Christian faith.