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Ideal place for cycling

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

Castel di Tora watches over Lake Turano from above, mirroring itself in its green waters

From Rieti, it seems clear to me

This is the place where St. Francis created the first crib of the Christian tradition. The Sanctuary stands in an exceptional position, clinging to the rock and with a unique view of the Rieti plain, nearby Greccio and the Terminillo massif. It can be visited every day and is open from 09.00 to 18.00. Whether you are a believer or not, it is highly suggestive to visit this place, especially during the Christmas period.

It seems that San Cataldo has never actually passed through these places. Yet the legends about the saint are not lacking. It is said that the rock that leads from the hermitage to the valley floor is full of hollows and fissures, marks of the elbows and feet of the saint who went to the stream every day to wash himself. Legends aside, the hermitage is a wonderful example of the union between human architecture and nature. The interior of the chapel and its ancient Byzantine fresco can be visited only during FAI days.

This short bridge that crosses Lake Turano offers a truly spectacular view of the surrounding environment. From here you can admire the wooded slopes of the Monti Navegna Cervia nature reserve to the west, the Carseolani mountains to the east, the perched village of Castel di Tora right at the end of the bridge and the small peninsula of Antuni, on the top of which stands an ancient medieval village.

Pass along the mountain road that connects the towns of Contigliano and Cottanello. Various excursions both on foot and by mountain bike start from here.