A holy valley par excellence, the Rieti valley preserves several places that bear witness to the passage of men and women who devoted their lives to holiness. Not only St. Francis, who right here wrote the Rule of the Franciscan Order, and in 1223 realized in Greccio the first representation of the Nativity; but also others have left an important mark on the territory, among hermitages and monasteries, and in whose traces Experience Santi wants to bring. To immerse oneself in a journey of miracles, stories and suggestions.
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Colli sul Velino, Contigliano, Greccio, Labro, Monteleone Sabino, Poggio Moiano, Poggio San Lorenzo, Scandriglia, Torricella in Sabina
The Way of St. Francis is an itinerary of about 300 km that can be traveled on foot, by bicycle and on horseback that passes through the places that bear witness to the life, works and experiences of the saint, all the way to Assisi. In the Anima Reatina territory, the Saint Francis Walk passes through these municipalities: Colli sul Velino, Contigliano, Greccio, Labro, Monteleone Sabino, Poggio Moiano, Poggio San Lorenzo, Scandriglia, and Torricella in Sabina. Go to the Itineraries section of this site to find out more!
Greccio
The sanctuary of the Crib of Greccio is the most famous of the four Franciscan sanctuaries found in the Holy Valley (the others are that of Fonte Colombo, della Foresta and Poggio Bustone). It is among the most important places of Franciscanism. It was founded by St. Francis of Assisi himself in 1223 and is nicknamed “the Franciscan Bethlehem”, because in this place he created the first nativity scene. The sanctuary is built into the rock and is located at an altitude of 665 meters, two kilometers from the medieval village of Greccio. The buildings, enlarged following the canonization of San Francesco (1228-1229) are on several levels, around a belvedere, from which there is a panoramic view of the Holy Valley. The heart of the sanctuary is the chapel of the Nativity, built around the grotto where the saint’s first representation of the nativity scene would have taken place. The chapel is decorated with marvelous fifteenth-century frescoes by the Giotto school.
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Rieti
A few kilometers from Rieti stands the Franciscan sanctuary of Fonte Colombo. Here, in 1223, after 40 days of fasting, St. Francis dictated the definitive Rule of the order to Friar Leo. The Fonte Colombo complex consists of a church dating back to 1450, dedicated to Saints Francis and Bernardino of Siena; from the hermitage, where the saint underwent a miraculous operation in his eyes; from the chapel of the church of the Virgin, also called della Maddalena, dating back to the 13th century; and from the Sacro Speco, the cave where the rule was drawn up.
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Rieti
A cinque chilometri da Rieti, immerso in una vallata, tutto circondato di boschi di castagni e di roveri, appare il santuario di Santa Maria della Foresta. San Francesco vi fu portato nell’estate del 1225. Il complesso degli edifici allo stato attuale risale ad epoche diverse. All’ingresso c’è la piccola chiesa di santa Maria, risalente ai primi anni del XIV secolo che oggi, dopo varie trasformazioni, mostra al suo interno le tracce della precedente chiesa di san Fabiano. Passando dalla chiesa al chiostro del convento, si incontra la Domus, il luogo dove venne ospitato Francesco con i suoi compagni, nel quale il santo compì il miracolo dell’uva, ridonando abbondanti grappoli a una vigna. Uscendo dalla Domus si accede infine alla grotta dove il santo si ritirava in preghiera, e dove compose il Cantico delle Creature.
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Poggio Bustone
The convent complex of Poggio Bustone consists of the Church of San Giacomo Maggiore, a portico, a cloister, a refectory and a hermitage. Francis went here in 1209, coming from the Spoleto valley, addressing the people he met on the street with a greeting that has remained in people’s hearts: “Good morning, good people”. To gather in meditation, the saint took refuge in a cave in the mountains overlooking the village of Poggio Bustone, where, according to legend, an Angel appeared to him to communicate God’s remission of sins. The sanctuary was built at the end of the fourteenth century and it has several frescoes inside. In the cloister of the convent where the Franciscan friars reside today, there is a painting with the words of the Canticle of the Creatures.
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Posta
St. Francis spent some time in Posta, probably between 1222 and 1225. Preaching there, it is said that he wanted to have a small church built in the village. Some even say that he himself laid the foundation stone, on the upper part of the village of Posta. The chapel was dedicated to St. Matthew, so today it is improperly called St. Francis’ because of the strong connection with the saint and his order. In fact, after a short time a convent was built around it that became a very important Franciscan center.
Rivodutri
Another place linked to San Francesco is located in the territory of Rivodutri: it is the Beech of San Francesco. Tradition has it that the tree bent its branches to protect St. Francis who took refuge under its branches during a storm. Near the beech you can also see a stone on which there is a footprint: it would have been left by the donkey of San Francesco, when he ordered him to return the shoes to the farrier who wanted to be paid.
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Rieti
The Temple of San Francesco al Terminillo is located at 1623 meters above sea level and is a very special little church, entrusted to the monastic Fraternity of the Transfiguration. A relic of the saint is kept here. The gabled façade in pink Assisi stone recalls, despite its modernity, the shapes of the churches of the mendicant orders. The church was built between 1955 and 1964, the mosaic in the apse made by Domenico Colledani of Milan tells the mystery of the creation of the universe. The stained glass windows represent the forces of nature as told in the Canticle of Creatures. Inside there are also the baptismal font, the urn that preserves the relic of the saint, an enamelled copper crucifix and majolica sculptures that represent the most significant scenes from the life of Francis.
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Belmonte in Sabina, Castel di Tora, Leonessa, Orvinio, Pozzaglia Sabina, Roccasinibalda
The Way of St. Benedict is an itinerary of just over 300 km, which can be traveled on foot, by bicycle or on horseback, starting in Umbria and ending at the southernmost border of Lazio. The route passes through the three most important places in St. Benedict’s history: Norcia, his birthplace; Subiaco, where the saint lived and founded several monasteries; and Montecassino, where in the last years of his life he wrote the Benedictine Rule. In the Anima Reatina territory, the Way of St. Benedict passes through these municipalities: Belmonte in Sabina, Castel di Tora, Leonessa, Orvinio, Pozzaglia Sabina and Roccasinibalda. Go to the Itineraries section of this site to find out more!
Collalto Sabino, Nespolo, Turania
The Way of St. Peter the Hermit is an itinerary of just under 250 kilometers composed that passes through the stages of the peregrination of St. Peter the Hermit. The route consists of three loops: the Ring of Evangelization, the Ring of Comparatism and the Ring of Posthumous Miracles. It winds through the area of the Apennines on the border between Abruzzo and Lazio. In the territory of Anima Reatina the Way of St. Peter the Hermit, particularly the Ring of Evangelization, passes through these municipalities: Collalto Sabino, Nespolo and Turania. Go to the Itineraries section of this site to find out more!
Amatrice
In Rocchetta, a fraction of Amatrice, surrounded by a wonderful oak forest, is the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Filetta. The history of this place dates back to Ascension Day in 1472, when Chiarina Valente, a young shepherdess, found herself in the middle of a violent storm, sought refuge under an oak tree where she found an ancient cameo depicting a female figure. The object began to be venerated by the population of Amatrice, as an ancient image of the Virgin was recognized in it, and the sanctuary was erected in the miraculous place of discovery. Today it is a pilgrimage destination, also for a certain artistic value: the interior is in fact decorated with a cycle of frescoes by the fifteenth-century painter Pierpalma da Fermo. The cycle depicts the story of the miracle and the birth of the sanctuary, the procession that goes from Amatrice to the sanctuary every year is also represented. The effigy of the Madonna was kept in the village of Amatrice and was found in the rubble of the church of Sant’Agostino, following the 2016 earthquake, this fact was taken up by the inhabitants as a great sign of hope.
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Castel di Tora
On the top of the abandoned village located on Mount Antuni in the Castel di Tora area, overlooking Lake Turano, is the ruin of the medieval hermitage of San Salvatore. The saint lived as a hermit in the cave below, a natural opening in the rock. A small rock church was built to close the cave, the remains of which can be admired today. Inside, on the left, there is a stone bed and on the right an altar dominated by a fresco; another fresco is placed above the door.
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Castel di Tora
Anatolia fu una giovane cristiana che venne martirizzata nel 251 sotto l’imperatore romano Decio, insieme a Sant’Audace. Una fonte racconta che Anatolia avesse una sorella, Vittoria, le due giovani, di nobile famiglia romana, seguaci del cristianesimo, rifiutarono il matrimonio con due patrizi perché pagani, e fecero voto di mantenere la loro verginità. Furono per questo martirizzate, Anatolia a Tora (Castel di Tora) insieme ad Audace, soldato romano che si convertì al cristianesimo e Vittoria a Trebula Mutuesca (Monteleone Sabino). Le due martiri sono state santificate dalla Chiesa cattolica. Sul luogo del sacrificio di Anatolia fu eretta una chiesa benedettina nel VIII secolo, poi il santuario nel 1870. Il luogo è meta di pellegrinaggio, in particolare a inizio luglio, periodo in cui ricade la festa della santa.
Monteleone Sabino
Just outside the town of Monteleone Sabino is the Sanctuary of Santa Vittoria. Vittoria, a young woman from a noble Roman family, was the sister of Anatolia, and like her she was martyred because she converted to Christianity and dedicated herself to the evangelization of the area. On the site of the martyrdom of the young woman, in the territory of Monteleone Sabino, a sepulcher was built in Roman times where the remains of the martyr were kept, and where it is said that miracles took place. Today on the site there is a Romanesque building, restored several times, erected in the 11th century to honor the Saint. The facade has a beautiful portal surmounted by a rose window and flanked by newsstands. Various decorative elements from Roman monuments are recognizable, such as the epigraphs, or those found in the square in front: Corinthian-style capitals, statues of lions and decorations from tombs from the classical age. To the right of the central nave you enter the catacombs, built with the remains of a Roman villa, the ancient tomb of the martyr.
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Orvinio
In Orvinio there is the Sanctuary of Santa Maria in Vallebona, a building built around 1643 thanks to the spontaneous contribution of the inhabitants of Orvinio. Legend has it that one day a shepherd while trying to cut branches in the area, hit an image of the Virgin that was hidden behind the foliage, it screamed and started to bleed. The amazed shepherd warned the fellow villagers and when they went back to looking for the image, it had disappeared. For this reason it was decided to build the Sanctuary in that place.
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Pozzaglia Sabina
In the territory of Pozzaglia Sabina there is the Cave of San Michele Arcangelo. It is a small rupestrian church built on a cave where, as legend has it, the young St. Michael would have stabbed a dragon to death. It is also said that the bond between the Archangel Michael and the perched and rocky places arises from his phrase “Where the rock opens up, man’s sin can be forgiven” with which he invited the faithful to consecrate this type of place.
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Pozzaglia Sabina
Agostina Pietrantoni was born in Pozzaglia Sabina on March 27, 1864, the second child of eleven children from a humble family of farmers. She entered the house of the Sisters of Charity in 1886 where she became Sister Agostina, and began working as a nurse at the Santo Spirito hospital in Rome, in the tuberculosis ward. On November 13, 1894, a patient with a criminal record, who had already been kicked out of the hospital, surprised her and stabbed her to death. Pope Paul VI beatified her in 1972 and in 1999 she was sanctified by Pope John Paul II. Sant’Agostina is the patroness of nurses, her remains are kept in Pozzaglia Sabina, and you can visit the house where she grew up.
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Scandriglia
In the district of Santa Barbara, just outside the historic center of Scandriglia, is the small rural church dedicated to the Roman martyr saint. Tradition has it that the young woman was martyred by her father because she converted to Christianity, right in the place where the church stands. The site is a pilgrimage destination especially on 4 December when the feast of Santa Barbara is celebrated, who is also the patron saint of Scandriglia. The body of the martyr was preserved until the 9th century in this area, today it is instead found in the Cathedral of Rieti.
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Registered office: Via Manzoni 10, 02100 Rieti
c.o. V^comunità montana
Tax code: 01235650577
