facing the nearby piazza battisti is the renaissance palace of the prefecture,, from whose garden one can enjoy a beautiful view over the oldest part of town and the surrounding mountains. the duomo (cathedral) was built around 1100, but reconstructed in later times. next to it stands a bell tower, followed by the palazzo vescovile (bishop's palace), built in the 13th century. just before it is a monumental loggia and a courtyard that lead to the spectacular salone papale.
to the north of the building rises the arco del vescovo (bishop's arch), dating back to the late 13th century and built by boniface viii. in via roma stands palazzo vecchiarelli, by carlo maderno and, beside it, the romanesque church of st. peter the apostle. noteworthy is palazzo vicentini, one of the most intriguing structures here, attributed to sangallo. once across the velino brdige - under which runs the eponymous river - one encounters the monumento alla lira (monument to the lira), unveiled in 2003 and constructed with more than 2.2 million 200-lira coins, collected and fused for the occasion.
finally, underground rieti hides away the remains of the ancient roman viaduct (built in the 3rd century bc). for lovers of archaeology and things ancient, the area offers itineraries that wind along the valley of the tiber, to collevecchio, cottanello, torri in sabina and vacone. another tour follows the turano valley in monteleone; paganico; rocca sinibalda, with its castle in the shape of an eagle; and turania, where a treasure was brought to light dating back to the early decades of the 1st century ad.
also of great interest are the valleys of the velino and tronto, with cittaducale and its angevin tower; castel sant'angelo and borgo velino, with the 18th-century parish church of san matteo; antrodoco with its duomo; and amatrice with the roman-gothic church of st. francis and the church of st. augustine, with frescoes dating back to the end of the 15th century.
very impressive is a visit to the franciscan sanctuaries that mark the stops along the walk of saint francis in the rieti valley, beloved by the saint. among these, the sanctuary of fonte colombo with the church, the monastery and the cave, the sacro speco, where according to legend st. francis, after retiring in meditation, wrote the rules of the franciscan order; the sanctuary of greccio, remembered as the place chosen by st. francis for the first commemoration of the nativity in bethlehem and is included, along with the surrounding borough. finally, the sanctuary of poggio bustone is remembered as the departure point for the franciscans? peace mission.
fortresses and castles comprise more of the province's attractions, chock-full of traces of history. among those deserving a mention are macchiatimone in pescorocchiano, with the remains of its medieval castle; the fortress of the castle of corvara in borgorose, dating from the 10th-11th century; the castle of collalto; and torre del castello postmontem in fara in sabina, also home to the abbey of farfa, considered one of the most important artistic and historical monuments in rieti province.
