Rieti

Rieti
Comune
Comune di Rieti
Coat of arms
Location of Rieti
Rieti Location of Rieti in Italy Rieti Rieti (Lazio)
Coordinates: 42°24′N 12°52′E
Country	Italy
Region	Lazio
Province	Rieti (RI)
Government
• Mayor	Giuseppe Emili (since May 2002)
Area
• Total	206.46 km2 (79.71 sq mi)
Population  (December 31, 2004)
• Total	47,436
Demonym	Reatini
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	02100
Dialing code	0746
Patron saint	St. Barbara
Saint day	December 4
Website	www.comune.rieti.it

Rieti (Reate in Latin) is a town in Latium, Italy with a population of 41,394. It is the capital of Rieti Province and the seat of the diocese of Rieti.

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.

The Roman Gate.

History

Ancient era

Reate was originally a major site of the Sabine nation. After the 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 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 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.

Bell tower of the cathedral.

Loggia of Palazzo Vescovile.

Loggia of Palazzo Vicentini.

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:

• 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 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.

Also interesting are the sights in the Lake Lungo and Ripasottile Natural Preserve, and to the Mount Terminillo.

Notable natives of Rieti

• Marcus Terentius Varro (116 – 27 BC), Roman scholar and writer.
• Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni (1657 – 1743), composer.
• Renzo De Felice (1929 – 1996), historian of Fascism.

Twin cities

• 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.

Rieti has a station on the Terni-L'Aquila railway.

External links

• Official website of the municipality of Rieti (in Italian)
• Rieti's Map