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This 16th-century work is perhaps the most beautiful building here. Apart from the elegant façade, it has an astonishing Renaissance-styled loggia on the west side, overlooking a pretty Italian-style garden. The loggia has such a great artistic value that for a long time it was mistaken for a work by architect Vignola, and still it is commonly called "Loggia del Vignola" (although it is now considered the work of one of his pupils). The garden is always open to public, and is an enchanting place where children can play, and you can admire the beautiful loggia and a view over the roofs of the lower part of the city, lulled by the roar of the fountains. The Baroque interior of the building, normally not open to visits, since the building houses government offices, is sumptuous and includes a magnificent fireplace in polychrome marble.
It maintains the original 16th-century wooden doors.
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.
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!
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's a small alley that perfectly represents the typical features of mediaeval cities, with arches, ladders and narrow passages. It's not the cleanest spot in town, although it has been repaved.