Sabina is probably more known historically than geographically. Who hasn’t heard of the Rape of the Sabine women at least once, the legend according to which the Romans kidnapped the Sabine women, to make up for the lack of women in the city and guarantee the survival of their lineage!?
If you still don’t know Sabina, we are certain that if you take a tour around this area you will fall in love with it and you too will begin to appreciate it.
The entire territory of the Sabina extends for roughly 18,000 square kilometres, located in an area between Lazio, Umbria and Abruzzo, although the largest portion is identified with Lazio and in particular with Rieti and its entire province.
Cicignano is located in what is called Bassa Sabina, which starts from the municipality of Rome and extends from the left bank of the Tiber river until it reaches the Sabine Mountains. The typical landscape of this part of the Sabina is characterized by lush green hills covered with centuries-old olive groves, vast valleys, mountains that are 1,300 metres high with oak and beech forests and nature reserves. Characteristic medieval villages, castles, abbeys and ancient monasteries can be found scattered everywhere.
The Alta Sabina area, the one most closely-linked to Rieti and the areas extending towards Umbria and Abruzzo, is not so far from here. About an hour, an hour and a half from Cicignano, the area recounts different experiences: the hills become mountains that exceed – albeit slightly – 2,200 meters in height. The climate becomes a bit more rigid in winter and often brings some heavy snowfall, the villages appear on the rocky slopes or the shores of some small lake.
Time in these places seems to have a slower pace in complete harmony with the surrounding nature.
The gentle and sinuous hills favour the production of olive oil which is the Sabina product of excellence.
Cicignano is also an excellent starting point for visiting Rome, which is just over an hour from the town by car or train. During your stay you can organize day trips to the capital, be captivated by the beauties and crowds of Rome and then return to the tranquillity and silence of the Sabine countryside.
If you are a hiking lover, whether out of pure desire to travel on foot or driven by religious and spiritual motivations, know that the Tiberina Director of the Way of Francis passes through Cicignano. A variant of the original path that retraces the stages of the Saint from Assisi to Rome, passing through the Valle Santa Reatina.
Sabina and its varied territory have a lot to offer to those who decide to immerse themselves in its reality!
