Rieti is the provincial capital of this part of Lazio and the historical center of the Sabina or Sabine hills. It was an important medieval town symbolised then, as now, by the Palazzo Vescovile with its imposing entrance.

The town has always pinned its colors to the big boys and was allied to Rome from earliest times followed by the Church from the 12th century.

Interestingly, there was a brief period between the two when Rieti and much of the region was dominated by the Saracens. A brutal time by all accounts which left its mark.