Rieti, Italy
| Rieti | |||
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| Comune | |||
| Comune di Rieti | |||
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The city centre of Rieti as seen from San Mauro hill, east of the city. In the background, the Rieti valley enclosed by the Sabine mountains; in the foreground, the Velino river.
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 Rieti
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| Coordinates: 42°24′N 12°52′E / 42.400°N 12.867°ECoordinates: 42°24′N 12°52′E / 42.400°N 12.867°E | |||
| Country | Italy | ||
| Region | Lazio | ||
| Province / Metropolitan city | Rieti (RI) | ||
| Frazioni | Case San Benedetto, Casette, Castelfranco, Cerchiara, Chiesa Nuova, Cupaello, Lisciano, Lugnano, Maglianello, Moggio, Piane di Poggio Fidoni, Piani di Sant'Elia, Piè di Moggio, Poggio Fidoni, Poggio Perugino, San Giovanni Reatino, Sant'Elia, Vaiano, Vazia | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Simone Petrangeli (SEL) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 206.52 km2 (79.74 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 405 m (1,329 ft) | ||
| Population (30 April 2008) | |||
| • Total | 47,745 | ||
| • Density | 230/km2 (600/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Reatini | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 02100 | ||
| Dialing code | 0746 | ||
| Patron saint | St. Barbara | ||
| Saint day | December 4 | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
Rieti (Italian: [ˈrjɛːti]; Latin: Rĕā́tĕ) is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti and see of the diocese of Rieti, as well as the modern capital of the Sabina region.
The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding from the southern edge the wide Rieti valley, at the bottom of Sabine mountains and of monti Reatini, among which mount Terminillo. The plain was once a large lake, drained by ancient Romans, now the fertile basin of the Velino River. Only the small Ripasottile and Lungo lakes remain of the original large one.
According to the legend, Reate was founded by Rea, a divinity (that would be the origin of the town name). It was founded at the beginning of the Iron Age (9th–8th century BC).
Probably in earlier times the lands around Rieti were inhabited by Umbri, then by Aborigines and later on by Sabines, who reached the lands sited in the nearby of Tevere river.
Reate was originally a major site of the Sabine nation well before the foundation of Rome. According to the legend, when Romulus founded Rome, Romans kidnapped Sabine women in order to populate the town (The Rape of the Sabine Women). So there was a war between Romans and Sabines. The battle of the Lacus Curtius came to an end only when the women threw themselves among the armies, begging for people who were by then relatives to stop fighting. Romulus and Titus Tatius reprieved and a collaboration between the two people started. According to a version more based on history, Sabines settled on the Quirinale because of their continuous need and search for plain grazing-lands.
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