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Sanctuary of Grecchio, one of the four shrines of St. Francis around Rieti Valley. Here, Francis depicted the Christmas story with living figures to help the local farmers understand it. Since then, setting up a nativity scene at Christmas has been a custom throughout most of the Christian world. Grecchio is a very special place

Many different representations of the one event, the incarnation of God, which cannot be understood with the mind, are brought together here in images. They are intended to help us to recognize the invisible - God's presence in this world - through the visible sign of the manger.

Saint Lawrence / "San LORENZO", to whom this church in Contigliano - which is now only a ruin but still dominates the landscape with its silhouette - was dedicated, is one of the early Christian martyrs from a time when Christianity was still forbidden. He was archdeacon of the Pope and was asked by the pagan emperor to hand over the treasure to the church. Lawrence asked for three days, during which time he distributed the church assets among the poor inhabitants of Rome and, after the agreed time, came to the emperor with the poor to present them to him as the treasure of the church. He was then martyred to death, the legend says that he was roasted alive on a grate - this attribute can be seen in many depictions of Saint Lawrence - over coals. He is said to have been in good spirits and told his executioner on the one hand whether he wanted to turn him around. The feast day of San Lorenzo/Saint Lawrence in the calendar of saints is August 10th.

"The chapel erected on the peak which was always called Monte San Francesco, at 1203 m, recalls the hermit's place where Saint Francis lived, under a cloth stretched and tied to four hornbeams, before the foundation of the convent of Greccio. In 1713, Clemente XI wanted to build a chapel in memory. From up there, the view is beautiful: from the left you can see the pink Mount Vettore, then the Reatini mountains, up to the Velino group".

This evocative ruin is what remains of the first settlement of Contigliano. The landscape that can be enjoyed from the hill is breathtaking, with the Rieti valley below and the Terminillo massif standing out on the horizon. To reach the walls closely you have to cross the fields so you have to be careful. Especially during the sowing season.

This small church, still in use on special days of the year, opens onto a small clearing in the woods. It can be reached either from the easy dirt road that starts from the Cottanello-Contigliano provincial road, or via a beautiful path in the woods from Contigliano.

This small medieval village in the Rieti area is crossed by the Camino di Francesco, a long walking route that leads from Rome to Umbria. Less famous than nearby Greccio, it offers a spectacular view of the valley and the nearby mountains. It is worth coming here in December during the pizza sucia festival, a traditional dessert of dried fruit, figs and hazelnuts.