Poggio Bustone - Poggio Bustone

Poggio Bustone is a city in the center of the Sabina, in Eastern Lazio.

To know

Poggio Bustone is linked to the life of St. Francis who lived here for a certain period. It is also known for being the birthplace of the famous singer-songwriter Lucio Battisti.

Geographical notes

Poggio Bustone is located on a hill that rises on the north-eastern edge of the Piana Reatina, also called Holy Valley due to the presence of four Franciscan sanctuaries (one of which is located in Poggio Bustone), and at the southern slopes of the Mount Terminillo. It is 15 km from Rieti, 22 from Greccio, 16 from Sanctuary of Santa Maria de La Foresta, 21 from Sanctuary of Fonte Colombo, 26 from Lioness.

Background

The roots of Poggio Bustone are lost in the mists of time, but the first documents attesting its existence date back to the 12th century.Around 1117 the castrum and podium of Poggio Bustone was named when Berardo, a local lord, donated the territory to 'Farfa Abbey, but the dominion of the Abbey lasted a few years and then passed to the Norman kingdom. At the end of the twelfth century. the town was included in the Rieti territory. San Francesco, with his first six companions, began preaching in the Rieti valley in 1208, taking up residence in Poggio Bustone.

From 1817 Poggio Bustone became the seat of a governorate which had the municipalities of Labro, Morro Reatino is Rivodutri. Poggio Bustone in recent history was the protagonist of the partisan struggle, in April 1944, it was invaded by Nazi-fascist troops who brought death and destruction, later for the courage shown by the population the town was awarded the Silver Medal for valor .

How to orient yourself

How to get

By plane

• Rome Ciampino Airport
• Rome Fiumicino Airport

By car

• A1 Autostrada del Sole:

• coming from the north, exit at Orte, continue on the SS675 towards Terni and exit at the Terni Est junction which puts you on the Terni-Rieti highway (SS 79 bis): follow the highway towards Rieti. At the exit of the long "Valnerina tunnel", you will find a stretch where the highway is still under construction: after the level crossing, turn left and, at the next intersection, turn right along the SP4 towards Colli sul Velino. Continue straight on the SP4, crossing the town of Colli sul Velino, up to the point where it ends by crossing the SR 79 "Ternana"; there turn right towards Rieti. Stay on SR 79 until, on the left, you will find the junction for Poggio Bustone; from there go straight on following the signs.
• coming from the south or from Rome, exit at Fiano Romano which is located on the A1 Roma Nord branch (coming from the south you must first take the branch, turning at the "Roma Nord" junction; coming from Rome, the branch can be reached from the Grande Raccordo Anulare with exit 9 - A1 towards Florence). At the Fiano Romano tollbooth, follow the directions for Rieti, first along the SS4 Dir (a link road that will lead you to the Via Salaria) and then the SS4 Salaria. Exit Salaria at the Rieti Est junction and cross Rieti following the signs for Leonessa / Poggio Bustone, passing through Porta d'Arci, via Pietro Nenni and via Angelo Maria Ricci, until you reach the Quattro Strade district. At the Quattro Strade roundabout, take the SR 79 for Terni and follow it until, on the right, you will find the junction for Poggio Bustone; from there always straight through Borgo San Pietro.

• From Rieti reach the northern quarter of Quattro Strade, along viale Maraini and viale Manio Curio Dentato or via Nenni and via Angelo Maria Ricci. At the Quattro Strade roundabout, take the SR 79 for Terni and follow it until, on the right, you will find the junction for Poggio Bustone; from there always straight through Borgo San Pietro.

On the train

• Railway station of Rieti (about 17 km), line Terni - Rieti - L'Aquila - Sulmona. Continue by bus with the Cotral Autolinee.

By bus

• Cotral bus lines [1]

How to get around

What see

• 42.5043812.8928521 Sanctuary and Franciscan convent. The construction of the sanctuary of Poggio Bustone began in the thirteenth century, when the convent and the small church in the cloister were built; at the turn of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the convent was enlarged and a new church was built, while in the seventeenth century another floor was added to the convent. The construction of the "Tempietto della Pace" dates back to the twentieth century.

In the sanctuary there is the church of San Giacomo, built towards the end of the fourteenth century, in which you can appreciate frescoes depicting the Madonna delle Grazie with the child and two angels on the sides in adoration, the castle of Poggio Bustone on which San Francesco and Sant'Antonio watch over as well as the artistic stained glass windows and to the traditional wooden crucifix.

In the cloister adjacent to the church a painting shows the words of the "Canticle of the Creatures", while in the lunettes are depicted episodes from the life of St. Francis. Open to the public is the refectory where you can find the wooden altar with the shrine dedicated to St. James used by St. Francis and his first followers.

Leaving the sanctuary to reach the Tempietto della Pace, take a path where the newsstands of the via crucis are placed, each made up of a different material (wood, marble, bronze, ceramic, etc.). At the end of the path there is a bronze statue of the saint.

The Franciscan convent it is from 1500; the Franciscan Friars reside there near the hermitage where the Saint of Assisi stopped, and where the Angel appeared to him.  

• old village. The structure of the old part of the town recalls, in many respects, that of the classic medieval villages. Turning through the streets of the small village you can see the gothic arched door (known as the "Buon Giorno"), which is the ancient entrance to the town and the pentagonal tower of the Cassero which is part of a castle of which only of the remains. 

Sites of natural interest

• 42.47424612.8327062 Partial nature reserve of the Lungo and Ripasottile lakes. The reserve is characterized as a humid area, and includes a flat territory located within the Piana Reatina. Lake Lungo and Lake Ripasottile are the remains of a large lake that once covered a large part of the Piana Reatina: Lake Velino, reclaimed by the ancient Romans with the creation of a passage in the mountains surrounding the plain and the outflow of lake waters. with the creation of the Marmore waterfall. Other reclamation interventions have occurred over the centuries, in order to counter the re-swamping of the valley and the flooding of the Velino river (called pianara).  
• 42.50367212.8825333 Gardens of March (from piazza Emo Battisti, on the bend where the town hall is located, follow the downhill road towards Rieti for about 500 meters. The gardens are located at the next hairpin bend). It is a small garden named after the famous song by Lucio Battisti, created one year after the death of the illustrious fellow citizen. It is located at the gates of the town, on the road to Rieti. Inside there is a bronze statue of the singer, the work of the sculptor Manuel Campus; from the garden you can enjoy a beautiful view of the Piana Reatina below. 

Events and parties

• Feast of Forgiveness. 2 August. It is celebrated in memory of the forgiveness received by St. Francis from the Archangel Gabriel. 

What to do

Shopping

How to have fun

Where to eat

• 42.50148412.8878991 The Franciscan Inn, Via Vittorio Emanuele, 12, ☎ 39 0746 689301. 
• 42.49292612.8807932 Cannelloro pizza restaurant, Via Villa Bravi, snc, ☎ 39 0746 688662. 

Where stay

Average prices

• 42.5016812.8875791 San Francesco Suite, Via Vittorio Emanuele, 11, ☎ 39 335 6199169. 
• 42.50304812.8865382 The Belvedere, Via S. Marco, 9, ☎ 39 340 6743384. 
• 42.50276812.8861253 Good morning, good people, Via di Mezzo, 15, ☎ 39 348 4417436. 
• 42.49934512.881884 Villa Tizzi hotel restaurant, Via Villa Tizzi, 4, ☎ 39 0746 688956. 
• 42.49443712.8714055 Monterosato farmhouse, Borgo Provaroni, 34, ☎ 39 328 6285222. 
• 42.48845612.8583596 Farmhouse La Cascina della Vachina, via Fonte Giovannone 4, ☎ 39 348 5240803. 

Safety

Pharmacy

• Mariantoni, Emo Battisti square 16, ☎ 39 0746 688842. 

How to keep in touch

Post office

• 42.50324412.8847081 Italian post, via Francescana snc, ☎ 39 0746 688263. 

Around

• Rieti - Considered by the authors of the classical age the geographical center of Italy (Umbilicus Italiae) was founded at the beginning of the Iron Age and became an important city of the Sabines; still today its territory is identified as "Sabina".

Itineraries

• Franciscan sanctuaries in the Rieti plain - A path of nature, faith and art in the Sabina crossed by San Francesco, to visit the four Sanctuaries of the Holy Valley: Greccio, Poggio Bustone, The Forest, Fonte Colombo.
• Via Carolingia - European itinerary that crosses the places traveled by the court of Charlemagne between the 8th and 9th centuries to travel from Aachen to Rome, where Pope Leo III crowned the Carolingian sovereign emperor of the Holy Roman Empire on Christmas night in the 19th century.

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Poggio Bustone
• Commons contains images or other files on Poggio Bustone

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