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Santurio di Grecchio, one of the four shrines of Saint Francis in the Rieti Valley, known for its beautiful nativity scene. This is where the story of the Christmas flu began.

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.

"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".

GRECCIO, located in the Rieti Valley about halfway between Assisi and Rome, is - like some other places in the area - a popular destination for pilgrims, especially to San Francesco (Francis) of Assisi. In a cave above the place, where there is now a Franciscan convent (if you are interested, see https://www.komoot.com/de-de/highlight/361263 ), the famous Christmas mass with the nativity scene took place in 1223.

This small village stands on a rocky outcrop that stretches out towards the Rieti plain. Known above all for the nearby sanctuary, it enjoys an atmosphere of peace and silence, during the Christmas period it awakens from its torpor with the week of the markets and the celebration of the Nativity scene. It is a medieval jewel worth visiting all year round.

This chapel is a perfect spot to take a break and enjoy the view. It consists of two rooms, a small church and a refuge area, managed by the local mountain community. Both are always open and offer excellent shelter on rainy autumn and winter days.

This panoramic point can be reached after having covered the steep climb which from Greccio crosses the wood with a series of zig-zags. The view from here towards the Terminillo massif and the plain of Rieti is breathtaking. On clear days you can even see the Sibillini and Laga to the east and the Gran Sasso massif to the south.