The Walk


Saint Francis loved the Rieti Valley. Here he found refuge from the vanities of the world. He found kind, simple people who understood his message. He found lush and peaceful nature. Saint Francis made the Rieti Valley his home along with Assisi and the Verna. Since then, this splendid plain amidst the hills and mountains has been known as the Sacred Valley .
Saint Francis chose the Sacred Valley to carry out three fundamental episodes in his daily and spiritual life: in 1223 he created the first Nativity in Christianity, wrote the Rule of the Franciscan Order, and probably composed the sweet song of praise, The Canticle of All Creatures in the same year.
The Saint Francis Walk is the same route travelled by the Saint in the Sacred Valley. By taking the walk, you will travel along the paths and roads that Saint Francis loved so much. You will be immersed in the same spectacular nature that enveloped Saint Francis and you will have a unique and purely spiritual experience.
La Conca Reatina è una vallata verde, colorata di tanto in tanto da romantici borghi antichi e specchi d'acqua pura, incantevole paesaggio che fu testimone del passaggio di un uomo che pose il suo cuore nelle mani del Signore. Il Cammino di San Francesco è un pellegrinaggio che da Rieti parte alla scoperta dei luoghi segnati dalla storia del Santo, un percorso ancora poco noto al turismo di massa, che unisce la ricerca della Fede alla scoperta di una natura ancora in grado di parlare al cuore di chi sa ascoltare, proprio come fu per San Francesco.
La storia di San Francesco racconta di un giovane che al ritorno dalla guerra tra Assisi e Perugia, cominciò ad avere strane allucinazioni e tormenti interiori che lo costrinsero, infine, ad abbandonare la casa del suo ricco padre. Nel 1208 l'inquieto ragazzo lasciò Spoleto per iniziare un vita di miseria e predicazione in nome del Signore: un peregrinare che ha lasciato tracce profonde del suo passaggio in tutta la Conca Reatina, i cui luoghi sono ora tappe preziose di  uno splendido pellegrinaggio che prende il  nome di Cammino di San Francesco e che è gemellato con  il già famoso Cammino di Santiago.
The Walk was conceived by the Director of the Rieti Tourist Board , Diego di Paolo, and was made possible thanks to the precious contributions by the National Forest Rangers Corps and the synergy with provincial institutions. The 80 kilometres that make up the Walk, inaugurated in December 2003, are divided into eight stops that have been blessed by the presence of Saint Francis.
The stops along the Walk will take you to Medieval Rieti with its palaces and churches, the Greccio, La Foresta, Poggio Bustone and Fontecolombo Sanctuaries set within green and lush woods, the Saint Francis Beech Tree at Rivodutri , the ancient town of Posta , a pearl in the Velino Valley, and to the top of Mount Terminillo.

Along the Saint Francis Walk you will find wooden signposts and in towns you will find arrows and markings on the road to help and guide you along the paths and direct you to the various stops. You can choose how to do the Walk: on foot, by mountain bike, on horseback, or by car (this choice is available for those with special needs). However you decide to make the Walk, you will find paths and roads of exceptional beauty. A Passport that certifies your pilgrimage along the footsteps of Saint Francis makes the Saint Francis Walk even more special. Before beginning the Walk, visit the Main Offices of the Saint Francis Walk located at the Rieti Tourist Board Offices in Via Cintia, 87, Rieti. You will be given useful information and recommendations that will help make your Walk a unique and unforgettable experience.

Franciscan Sanctuaries in the Santa Reatina Valley

Sabina, described and immortalized by writers and poets in Roman times, was singled out by the great Italian St. Francis of Assisi who expressed his love of nature and all her marvels in his “Canticle of Creatures”. He loved Sabina region above all others, and in particular the area between the Valley and surrounding heights. There are four Franciscan sanctuaries in the Valle Santa of Rieti and the neighboring hills. They are called the Sanctuary of Poggio Bustone, the Sanctuary of La Foresta, the Sanctuary of Fonte Colombo and the Sanctuary of Greccio.

The Sanctuary of Poggio Buscone

Leaving the Spoleto Valley, St. Francis went to pray to the hills overlooking Poggio Bustone, 10 miles from Rieti; the legend tells that, when St. Francis with his friends first came to the Holy Valley in 1209 to escape the ridicule and hostility of his fellow townsmen, he greeted the local people with the simple words “Good day to you good people” and the villagers, in turn, exchanged the same greeting and have continued to do so over the centuries.
In the most wild part of the mountain he found two caves where he prayed and chastised himself in penance; during his meditation he was assured of forgiveness of his sins and was told that his brethren, the new apostles would grown in number.

The Sanctuary of Fonte Colombo

The Sanctuary of Fonte Colombo is 3 miles from Rieti, known as the Franciscan Sinai, because it was here in 1223 that St. Francis received the final Rule of the Friars Minor from Christ. Following this the Saint left to preach in the Orient where he contracted a very painful eye disease.
He tan returned to Fonte Colombo to cure it and here performed other miracles.
It is natural, therefore, that what attracts us most to this quite peaceful hermitage it is its mystical atmosphere not its artistic value. The sanctuary stands on a hill-top still covered to this day with luxuriant vegetations and ancient Holm-oaks at in altitude of 1788 ft.
There is a small chapel dedicated to the Virgin called “ Cappella della Maddalena”, which stands in the natural cave where the Saint used to pray, the so-called “Sacro Speco”, or “Holy Cave”, and in one of the left of the altar the letter T (tau in Greek) is clearly visible: it represents the Cross that is, in effect, the Saint's symbol.

The Sanctuary of La Foresta

Santuario La Foresta RietiThe Sanctuary of La Foresta is 2,5 miles from Rieti, a shrine on the plase where St. Francis stopped to have his eyes treated while travelling to Rieti at the invitation of Cardinal Ugolino, in 1225. This was where Saint Francis came to get away from his all too faithful followers. He stayed as the guest of the Parish Priest of the little church of St. Fabiano; it was at this time that the miracle of the grapevine took place.
The huge crowds that had gathered to get a glimpse of the Saint wrecked the vineyard, but it nevertheless produced an exceptionally rich harvest of excellent quality wine. The story is depicted in a 16th century fresco, in the portico.

The Sanctuary of Greccio

At the western end of the Rieti Valley, 10,5 miles from Rieti, is the Sanctuary of Greccio, known to the world as the Franciscan Bethlem, a large and overpowering architecture: the buildings seem to grow out the rock reinforced by heavy pylons.
It was here, in the winter of 1223, that St. Francis thought of commemorating the Birth of the Infant Christ at the approach of the Feast of the Nativity, and on Christmas Eve night, the world saw its first Crib with an ox and an ass standing round a manger on which the priest celebrated the Mass.
The story is also depicted in the valuable 14th century fresco in the Chapel built right after the Saint's death in the same grotto where the Saint assembled the Crib. Since 1972, during the Christmas season, a series of live open-air scenes are organized so that the experience of the firs Crib can be renewed.

The Temple of Saint Francis

In 1939 Pope Pius XII declared Saint Francis the Patron Saint of Italy. In order to celebrate the event, the Franciscan friars decided to build a monument on Terminillo at 1623 m. above sea level. They erected the national Votive Temple. Work began in 1949 and 25,000 cubic meters of rock was carved out in order to house the church which was consecrated in 1964.
The building is a harmonious fusion of architecture, mosaic, sculpture and church ornaments of high artistic quality. A casket in the Saint Francis chapel holds the most precious relic: an urn containing remains of the Saint in front of which a votive lamp burns eternally.

Saint Francis' beech tree

St. Francis withdrew often in the Holy Valley in order to find the solitude offered by the extraordinary natural elements of the places. One of the most fascinating is the St. Francis' beech tree, a monumental tree with its foliage that extends to 22 meters in diameter. The tree is famous for its extraordinary form, with branches that entwine, creating curves and knots with unusual beauty.
It is fruit of a spontaneous mutation undergone in only rare examples throughout the world. According to tradition, during a storm, the tree took on this form in order to protect St. Francis who had been praying there. One can get there by following a secondary road from Rivodutri that goes to Cepparo; one continues, submerged in nature, up to the foot of Mount Fausola (1100 meters) where a sign indicates a small path which leads to this extraordinary beech tree.

The Village of Posta

Borgo di PostaSome Franciscan historians and a local ancient tradition believe that Francis came to the village of Posta which was called Malchilone during the Saint lifetime. In the village, which borders the Kingdom of Naples, St. Francis founded the first order of the Friars Minor in the Church of St. Mathew known today as the Church of Saint Francis. The presence of St. Francis in Posta begins between 1222 and 1225. On the site where St Francis lived, a convent soon arose and the ancient church of St. Mathew was renovated to become larger and more solemn. Sources say that as a token to the love and affection he held for the poor and the sick, St. Francis donated, his cloak and twelve loaves to a poor woman from Machilone with sick eyes who did not have the money for a cure.

Natural Elements

The vista is open spacious, marked by rows of poplars that break up the planted fields. The surrounding hills lead the eye skyward, towards the peaks, of the Terminillo in the background. This is how the Rieti valley appears today, where centuries ago St. Francis first set out the Walk.
When St. Francis explored this valley, he discovered an extraordinarily varied nature, alive with multi-hued colors, varying from the valley to the hill. Enormous oaks define the landscape bordering the lake regions, and the areas where the Saint one walked must have been cloaked in forests and brush that are still present in large part today.
Despite repeated attempts to reclaim the area during Roman times, by mining the travertine bank of the Marmore Falls from the ancient Iacus Velinus, which dates to the Quaternary period, extended across the Rieti plain.
Ancient sources claim that the Saint was forced to use a boat to cross the basin to get from one side to the other. At the time, large mammals populated the area, including deer that subsequently found refuge in the hills before indiscriminate hunting wiped them out altogether.
St. Francis used to converse with the elements of nature that surrounded him on a daily basis. But what does the area, that prompted the Saint's mystic fervor, look like today? It's certain that St. Francis knew the towns of Poggio Bustone, Greccio, Fonte Colombo, La Foresta, the best known Franciscan localities of the Rieti area. But there are others worth noting, either because they are the site of miraculous events - like St. Elia - or because they are linked to legends passed down through the ages, like the legend of the beech three on the mountain above Cepparo di Rivodutri.
The Walk of Francis includes Pian de' Valli on Mount Terminillo and the village of Posta in the high valley of the Velino. The vegetations one encounters on the various itineraries is extremely rich and mutable according to the season. Species variety is so abundant that it's rare to encounter it elsewhere.
The lakes of the plan (at 370 meters above the sea) are in good state of preservation, lush with the vegetation, typical of areas that are both perennially submerged and dry in others parts. Surrounding the lakes of Ventina, Ripa Sottile, Lungo or Cantalice, Fogliano to name the most important, are forests mostly populated by willow trees, white poplars, black elders along with travelers-joy, bramble bushes and hop, which ensure a large degree of diversity. In certain periods of the year, these are inhabited by cormorants, egrets, grey herons, marsh harriers, buzzards and the like. The riverbeds are framed by vegetation typical of marshy areas. The water irises are especially beautiful during the spring bloom. The marshy areas provide home to many birds that find their ideal habitat here and come to nest.
Thus little grebes, whistle ducks, mallards, teals, pilchards, spoon-billed ducks, bulls of the bog, little egrets, moorhens and other birds live in these areas where land, water and plants seem to merge into one extraordinary ecosystem. But similar woods are present along the rivers Velino, Salto, St. Susanna. This is the ideal environment for porcupines, foxes and other wild game. Beyond the fields, the geometry of bushes and the unique, woods defined by olive groves, the mixed broad-leaved forest becomes the protagonist. Normally these are deciduous species that lose their leaves after autumn's bright palette of colors dulling the landscape into depressing tones.
Oak trees, the friendly giants of the forest, spring up here and there. Up higher, chestnuts form, woods, that have always been planted and cared for by man. Known as the tree of bread and good wood, the broad trunk chestnut brings us into an enchanted fairytale world, that's not just, in our imagination. Surrounding the Sanctuaries, at times forming a crown around the walls, are Holm-oak woods. They have been there from time immemorial and with their dark green foliage they confer an air of solemnity to the environment. Higher still a beech forest, dominates the landscape, the tall column like trunks decorated by multicolored lichens, which stand silhouetted against a winter's sky or against the warm green of the hot season or against brilliant autumn colors.
The territory belongs to animals that take shelter from man, but make their presence known especially once the sun goes down. It's the land of the fox and the badger, squirrel and dormouse, woodpeckers and jay, wise old owl, and the hoot owl with its sad song along with hundreds of other song birds. To sum up, along the paths trodden by St. Francis one finds the simplest - hence the most sublime-spirituality. One climbs with the trees, following the changing landscape. Below the fields speak of ancient history, of a farming community that for centuries lived off the resources of the land, at times generous mother, at times hostile antagonist.
A history written by pollard willow trees, elms used to steer vines, oaks the provided, shade to herds, poplars that towered along the ditches.
Up higher, the path becomes a forest that varies and changes in form, and color; the maple, ash, sorbs, oak, laburnum, and splashes of juniper and broom that alternate with the high pastures beech groves and of spires of St. Francis' rocky cathedrals.
Following the Walk, panoramas, open up unexpectedly: high plateaus and deep valleys, thick forest and immense isolated trees.
The rough and gnarly trunks seem to announce that for centuries these natural fortresses were the custodians of the Franciscan Rule.
So the centuries old Beech of St. Francis, with its imposing and twisted trunk so different from others of the species, appears to be the entrance way to God's temple on earth.
The Saint Francis Walk will help you relive Franciscan spirituality. It offers uncontaminated nature and it will take you through the narrow streets of picturesque villages and the airy squares of Rieti.
The towns situated along the Walk preserve historical centres that have not been touched by time and that house masterpieces to be discovered. Set upon high rocky areas, they have maintained their medieval layout of narrow streets that wind around houses and palaces to then open up unexpectedly onto the squares where their inhabitants gather. They keep the history, culture and tradition of this land alive. The Walk will take you to Rieti, protected by imposing medieval walls, and Cantalice, teetering on a steep spur. You will be pleasantly surprised by Poggio Bustone and its fairytale landscape and by Rivodutri with its mysterious Alchemic Gate, or Sacred Gate. On the other side of the Sacred Valley you will visit the towering belfry at Greccio and the noble “palazzi” and grand church in Contigliano. The Walk continues to Mount Terminillo where you will find the remains of Saint Francis and Posta, an ancient Angevin foundation.

Il Cammino di San Francesco: Rieti - Colombo - Greccio (20,8 Km)

Il Cammino di San Francesco è un percorso circolare di circa 80 chilometri che parte e torna a Rieti, attraverso suggestive tappe intermedie. Il luogo ideale da cui partire è senza dubbio la Cattedrale di Santa Maria e, un ossequioso saluto alla statua di San Francesco è la benedizione per un viaggio sereno: attraversando via Roma si arriva al ponte da cui inizia la segnaletica gialla che indica il nostro itinerario. Dopo avere percorso la strada provinciale, ci si incammina lungo il sentiero che raggiunge Fonte Colombo: la leggenda racconta che, dopo quaranta giorni di digiuno e preghiera nel Sacro Speco, Gesù dettò la Regola a Francesco e che questa fu poi trascritta da Frate Leone nella grotta che porta il suo nome. Proseguendo in direzione S. Elia e Piani di Poggio Fidoni, si arriva nel borgo di Contigliano: splendido paese interamente chiuso al traffico ed ideale per immergersi nel tepore della calma campagna umbra e rifocillarsi dal viaggio. Si riprende la strada provinciale per arrivare a Greccio, il santuario dove nel 1223 Francesco allestì il primo Presepe della storia. Greccio sembra esso stesso un paesaggio da presepe, arroccato su una roccia che domina la Riserva naturale dei Laghi Lungo e Ripasottile. Nella chiesa principale sono esposti numerosi modelli di presepi provenienti da ogni dove e dal sagrato si accede alla grotta dove il Santo compose la scena della Natività.

This walk winds through the hills south of the Rieti plain. It begins from the square in front of the Basilica of Santa Maria in Rieti in Via Cinta near the statue of Saint Francis. After an initial stretch through the city for about 4 km, the route leaves the provincial road of Tancia, in Macelletto, and proceeds in the direction of Fontecolombo on a paved road that later becomes a path. This stage of the journey is uphill for a rise of 160 metres and is 1900 metres long. It ends at the Sanctuary of Fontecolombo after about an hours walk. From here, in order to reach the second part of the path, the Sanctuary of Greccio, the walk proceeds in the direction of Saint Elia. It takes about 30 minutes to walk the two kilometres and climb the 150-metre rise after Saint Elia. The walk continues to the left of the church of Saint Elio Profeta. A slightly downhill slope leads to the town of Piani Poggio Fidoni on country roads that run east to west along the tops of the hills. For long stretches the view is vast and spacious. On the right (looking north) it is possible to see the Rieti plain while the internal hills, including the towns of Poggio Fidoni, Morini, la Val Canera, etc., can be seen in the opposite direction. The road is shaded and lined by roverellas (Quercus pubescens). Having crossed through Piani Poggio Fidoni, the walk continues briefly along Via Tancia until it reaches Val Canera leaving the provincial road and going uphill to Colle Posta. From here, the 360° view dominates the entire Sacred Valley: to the south is Val Canera; to the north is the Rieti plain towered over by Mount Terminillo; to the west is the town of Contigliano and in the distance is Greccio and the Sanctuary with the same name. Continuing on, the road winds through the hills for 2.5 kilometres. This stretch is characterized by slight ups and downs in large part shaded by majestic Roverellas. It leads to Contigliano. The pilgrim is greeted on arrival by the ancient village of Contigliano Alto that rises above the more modern town. After passing through the village, the next stop is the town of Piano and here, on a slight uphill climb, the walk proceeds on the Onnina path (named after the spring that flows in Piano di Contigliano). Along the route, there is a stop at the San Pastore Abbey that has recently been restored and is reached after an hour and a half walk for 3.5 kilometres.
With the Abbey on the right, the walk goes along Via San Pastore which crosses the provincial road for Greccio at various points. The Greccio Sanctuary is reached after about an hour.

Greccio - Pogggio Bustone (18,6 Km)
Questo tratto del percorso attraversa la Riserva Naturale dei Laghi Lungo e Ripasottile, posta proprio tra Greccio e Poggio Bustone. Una splendida strada costeggiata da querce conduce il località Bandita e da qui ci si inerpica lungo un salita di circa due chilometri, fino a raggiungere Poggio Bustone, un grazioso borgo aggrappato alla roccia. Lungo la via si incontrano i Giardini di Marzo, dedicati al cantante Lucio Battisti che qui nacque il 5 marzo del 1943. Usciti dal minuscolo centro abitato, si segue un sentiero che si arrampica su una collina dove si trova il Santuario di San Giacomo. Dopo una breve sosta si riparte per raggiungere il Sacro Speco, nel cui antro San Francesco parlò con un angelo che gli svelò la sua sacra missione risolvendo così i dubbi tormentosi. Una deviazione di circa 2,5 ore di cammino conduce al Faggio di Francesco: la leggenda narra che la pianta si chiuse a proteggere il Santo da un violento temporale. Si raggiunge oltrepassando il borgo di Rivodutri e la sua Porta Alchemica, costruzione in marmo bianco raffigurante immagine legate all'alchimia. Si percorre un sentiero in salita che arriva davanti ad una piccola chiesa e poi ci si introduce in un bosco dove è custodito il faggio.
From the downhill slope at the Greccio Sanctuary, the walk follows the provincial road until it crosses the road for Reopasto. From here it proceeds in the direction of Terni. After about 600 metres, it turns towards Montisola and continues along a straight path lined by majestic Mulberry trees. Turning right, the walk proceeds until the Terria Bridge on the provincial road for Reopasto over the River Velino and on to the town of Colle San Pastore. At this point, it turns left and leaves the provincial road behind to continue on to the town of Settecamini. From here, along the Via Settecamini, it reaches the visitor’s centre of the Lakes Lungo and Ripasottile Natural Reserve found in the town of Lanserra near the Idrovore building. The walk continues in the direction of Crispolti Bridge until it hits the road for Ternana that runs in the direction of Rieti. It then crosses the provincial road of Crispolti Bridge which is taken in the direction of Poggio Bustone. From here, the walk is detoured onto a paved road that is lined and shaded by large oak trees (Quercus pubescens).
The walk now becomes slightly uphill towards Borgo San Pietro (a hamlet of Poggio Bustone). Once inside the small centre, it continues for a short while on the road for the Poggio Bustone Sanctuary towards Poggio Bustone, and then proceeds towards the town of Bandita.
The slope becomes steeper here. The distance is about two kilometres and there is a rise of 260 metres. At two thirds of the way up, the path enters the town of Poggio Bustone. A series of narrow alleys and steps through the town lead to the sanctuary.

Poggio Bustone - Sacred Grotto -  La Foresta - Rieti (16,4 Km)
Altimetry (file pdf, 54 KB) Da Poggio Bustone si torna verso località Bandita e si prende il sentiero panoramico che porta verso il Borgo di Cantalice e scende fino al Santuario de La Foresta, posto sulle colline intorno a Rieti, su una splendida vallata di boschi che abbracciano il torrente Acqua Marina. Il Santuario è una piccola chiesa con pochi affreschi e una sola navata dove, in una cavità della roccia, San Francesco compose il Cantico delle Creature, primo documento ufficiale della lingua italiana scritta. Il ritorno a Rieti sarà un momento di intensa riflessione, immersi nella meravigliosa campagna umbra che tanto ispirò il cuore sincero di un giovane ragazzo di Spoleto.

This itinerary is among one of the most Franciscan in nature: it opens the pilgrim's soul to meditation and contemplation, as it did to Saint Francis during his stay in Poggio Bustone in 1209.
Joergensen writes: "If we want to fully understand Francis of Assisi, it is important to follow him to the heights, in that isolated grotto in the mountains".
By following a spiraling footpath through the woods that begins at the Tempietto della Pace a little further on from the Poggio Bustone Sanctuary and continuing on for about half an hour, you walk uphill for about 600 meters until you reach the Sacred Grotto where Saint Francis was pardoned for his sins. This path is the same one the Saint took in the year 1200. The eye is filled with views of centuries-old Holm oaks and maple trees. Along the path there are six chapels erected around 1650 to commemorate the miracles carried out by Saint Francis. Each one is tied to an episode that, according to local tradition, Saint Francis encountered in his continuous climbs to the narrow location. The first one commemorates the miracle of when the Saint placed his bible on a stone to shield it from a storm. As soon as he laid the bible down, the stone fell away as if made of wax. The gap can still be seen. The second chapel preserves the shape of the hood impressed in the stone where the Saint rested his head. A few meters from here, there is another stone where there is the print of Saint Francis' knee left on the occasion that the humble Saint knelt when he was visited by an Angel. The third temple shelters the print of the Saint's elbow on a stone. The fourth chapel is dedicated to the apparition of the devil who left its deformed prints on a stone. The fifth holds a stone bearing Saint Francis' footprint and the sixth chapel houses the imprint of an angel that appeared to the saint in human from. The Sacred Grotto is not far from the sixth and last chapel. This is where you enter the true heart of Franciscan belief. The small grotto situated between two rocks, was the place where Saint Francis prayed and the center of his Francisacn community.
Saint Francis lived in this grotto in 1209 and it was here that an angel appeared to him in the form of a young boy announcing the total remission of his past sins and it was also here that the expansion of his Order was revealed to him.
Below the immense rocky mass which is about 100 meters high, stands a tiny church which, with its bell tower and little apse, encloses the Grotto of the visions like an embrace.
During the time Saint Francis lived here, it was only a grotto, but at the beginning of the 14th century, the church and bell tower were built and around 1600 it was enlarged to its present size.
The Sanctuary is made up of two structures, one above the other. They look as though they have been dug out of the rock itself. They are simple and unadorned but very evocative and immensly dear to Saint Francis.
The lower of the two is an entrance from which a stairway cut into the rocky wall leads to the Saint's grotto. The space is characterised by a small 14th century altar above which there is a 17th century painting depicting the Angel that appeared to Saint Francis reassuring him of the remission of his sins.
Rough-cut steps from the rock lead to the upper level (the construction is dated 1634) where one can admire a tiny altar and a painting depicting the Saint in prayer and the blessed Egidio at rest.
From the Sanctuary of Poggio Bustone, the walk moves downhill passing through the town in the direction of Bandita. After about two kilometres there is a path on the left that leads through terraced fields, crosses the town of Poeta, and continues for one kilometre on a paved road towards San Liberato for a total distance of five kilometres.
After the town, the road is left behind and the walk proceeds in the direction of Fonte di San Liberato. From here a path on a slight uphill climb leads to Cantalice and passes through its historical centre. From Cantalice Superiore, the Vazia – Cantalice provincial road is taken to Madonna della Pace. This road is then abandoned in order to follow another road that runs along the top of a hill. The walk now continues on a slight downhill climb and when crossing through the towns of Case Colasanti, San Gregorio, and Civitella, one can admire Mount Terminillo to the east and the Rieti plain to the west with lakes Lungo and Ripasottile in the forefront.
Continuing downhill towards the Foresta Sanctuary, the path encounters the church dedicated to Saint Felice da Cantalice. At this point, the walk goes on for 2600 metres along a dirt road until it reaches a valley where it crosses the Via dell’Acquamartina. The walk rises uphill for about 500 metres then a right turn leads to the last uphill stretch. Having past a cottage, the Sanctuary stands on the left after about 13 kilometres. The walk to this point takes approximately three hours.
From here, Rieti is about 40 minutes and 4.5 kilometres on a slight downhill slope away.

Poggio Bustone Sanctuary - Pian de' Valli (Votive Temple to Saint Francis on Terminillo) Terminillo - Altimetry (pdf, 60 KB)

After about 200 metres from the Sanctuary of Poggio Bustone (Convent of Saint James 818m), take path number 421 on the left with directions for Cima D’Arme. The path is marked with Red-White-Red flags.
The walk goes uphill towards the Sacro Speco and then steps take you downhill only to rise again on a steep climb until the Scogli di San Francesco (a cross and a small grotto). The walk resumes uphill until the Prati di San Giacomo at a height of 1301 metres. At this beautiful clearing the walk becomes a dirt road that is taken until the Sella di Cima D’Arme at 1395 metres. It continues on to the Fonte Petrinara at 1419 metres.
From the Fonte, path number 420 leads to the Sella Monte Versanello at 1524 metres at which point path number 402 winds along the following route: Passo del Lupo, 1690m - Sella di Cantalice, 1545m – Sella di Vall’Organo, 1850m. From here, the walk proceeds towards the “La Fossa” Refuge at 1505m and then onto a dirt road for about 2.5 kilometres that leads to the Pian de’ Valli.

Poggio Bustone Sanctuary – Saint Francis Beech Tree (9.3 km)Poggio Bustone Sanctuary

The walk begins at the Poggio Bustone Sanctuary on the provincial road of the Sanctuary in the direction of Rieti until Casa Fanfani where it continues on the road that goes to Monte Rosato. The street rises slightly and leads to the outskirts of the town. After about 700 metres, there is a left turn and it proceeds on level ground towards a first stop at Campi della Rocca and a second one at Querce Sante.
After approximately 3 km, we find the shore of the Trifoglio drain. Crossing this, the walk continues on the left until it meets a road that turning right leads in the direction of Cepparo, a hamlet of Rivodutri. This tiny rural town signals the 3/4 mark of the journey.
Having crossed through the town, the route leaves the mountain road after about 600 metres and proceeds along a shaded path to the right. This stretch passes through a large pasture that intersects the road many times. As the walk proceeds slowly on a rather steep uphill climb, the vegetation and scenery changes. The first beech trees can be seen from here and the crucifix on the left indicates that our destination is near.
The path once again meets the main road. A fence protects it downhill. The Saint Francis Beech Tree is close. A few more minutes and we have arrived.

L'azienda di promozione turistica di Rieti invia il kit del pellegrino a chi lo richiede, con una mappa dettagliata del Cammino di San Francesco, la Guida del Pellegrino e il Passaporto del Pellegrino. Il Passaporto si può richiedere anche nei Santuari che si incontrano lungo il cammino e deve recare il timbro di un frate, per poter ricevere l'attestato del pellegrino da parte dell'ufficio del turismo. Il percorso è segnalato da cartelli in legno e da simboli sulla pavimentazione ma, sebbene esso sia gemellato con il Cammino di Santiago, non sono stati ancora organizzati dei punti di accoglienza ufficiali per cui si consiglia di organizzare il viaggio, magari utilizzando i suggerimenti di Expedia su VacanzeCultura.it.

Convento di San Francesco - Fonte Colombo
Tel 0746 210125
Orari: tutti i giorni, dalle 7:00 alle 18:00; visite guidate alle ore 8:30, 12:00, 18:00, 18:30
Ingresso: gratuito

Santuario Francescano del Presepe - Greccio
Tel 0746 750127
Orari: tutti i giorni, dalle 8:30 alle 12:30 e dalle 15:30 alle 19:00
Ingresso: gratuito

Santuario di Poggio Bustone - Poggio Bustone
Tel 0746 688916
Ingresso: gratuito

Convento Santa Maria de La Foresta - Comunità "Mondo X"
Tel 0746 200085
Orari: tutti i giorni dalla 8:30 alle 12:00 e dalle 14:00 alle 18:30, visite guidate
Ingresso: gratuito