rieti

Rieti is a city and comune in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Rieti and lies in the Sabine Hills on the head of the Velino valley, near the slopes of Monte Terminillo. The town is about 100 kilometers northeast of Rome.

The surrounding area combines urban and rural features, with a historic center preserved amid narrow streets, churches, and palazzi. The municipality has tens of thousands of residents.

In antiquity, the settlement was known as Reate, a Sabine and later Roman municipium and religious center. During the Middle Ages it developed as a free commune and, for several centuries, was part of the Papal States until the unification of Italy in the 19th century.

The economy is based on services, small-scale manufacturing, and agriculture in the surrounding countryside. Rieti serves as the administrative and commercial hub for the northern Lazio hinterland and is a base for outdoor and cultural tourism, especially in the Terminillo area.

The historic center contains religious and civil architecture dating from the medieval and Renaissance periods, including the cathedral and several churches, as well as the Palazzo Comunale.