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Photo: Alessandro Antonelli, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This is a longer bicycle path that consists of a 21 km circular ring which starts and ends in Rieti. Entirely flat and without climbs, it is immersed in the nature of the Rieti Plain, between cultivated fields and rivers. Rest areas along the way have benches, picnic tables and drinking fountains. For most of the length, the bikeway has an easily recognizable orange colour. Pay attention to the Contigliano-Sant'Elia trait, where the route is not well indicated: always look for the red dashed line at the roadside to be sure of being on the right way.
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St. Dominic church has an architecturally significant convent, well worth a visit. It develops around the Blessed Colomba cloister, with a beautiful Italian-style garden and a portico decorated by frescoed lunettes illustrating the life of the blessed Colomba. At one side of the cloister, there is the St. Peter the Martyr Oratory, a small chapel that houses an astonishing fresco of the Last Judgment, painted by brothers Lorenzo and Bartolomeo Torresani between 1552 and 1554. Sadly, it is almost impossible to visit the oratory and the cloister, since it's part of the military area of an Italian Army barracks (caserma Verdirosi), and the military allows touristic visits only on special occasions (e.g. "giornate FAI"). This is a real shame, since it is arguably the most important fresco in the whole city!
Giorlandina or Ciclovia A
A beautiful bicycle path runs by the southern Velino riverside, going from west to east. It is 3 km long and allows for a nice bike ride near the green river shores and far from traffic. Benches and drinking fountains are available along the way.
17th-century fountain at the centre of the square.
It consists in a display of sculptures, coins, goldsmithery and objects from the prehistoric, Etruscan, Hellenistic and Roman periods, including an iron age urn found near Rieti.
The so-called geographical centre of Italy might seem like a gimmick to attract tourists, but Rieti was nicknamed "Umbilicus Italiae" ("navel of Italy") even in Roman times. The exact point is at St. Rufus square, recorded by a multilingual plaque and a monument which locals call "caciotta", as it resembles a round cheese.
It maintains the original 16th-century wooden doors.