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Borgo Velino

All through the centuries Borgo Velino has been a village of history, art, tradition that can’t be missed by tourists visiting the Velino Valley.

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Population

957

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Area

17,3 km²

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Altitude

460 m

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Where is it?

Borgo Velino is situated at 460 meters above sea level in the small stretch of the plain between Castel Sant'Angelo and Antrodoco, at the east entrance of the Piana di San Vittorino. The municipal area is overlooked by the mountainous group known as Monte Nuria. Borgo Velino has a population of approximately 900 inhabitants and covers an area of just over 18 square kms.

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Its origins?

The oldest settlement in the area is Viario, which can be considered an ancestor of today's municipality of Borgo Velino. Viario was built before Rome as a refuge for the shepherds coming from Sabina. During the Flavians period the village hosted a Roman villa, home of the famous emperors and what remains of that period is the Nymphaeum of the Flavians, a valuable monument of the 1st century. Borgo Velino called Borghetto until 1863, was founded during the 14th century by the inhabitants of Forca Pretula Castle. Tradition says that Saint Francis of Assisi lived in the villageduring his pilgrimages through the Sabina. A convent ceertainly existed in 1472, when Sixtus IV taxed the poor little friars of Borghetto for the sum of 3 ounces. From 1472 to 1624, it was part of the Cittaducale district and in the 16th century became a fief of Margaret of Austria who marked a profound change in the Borghetto community. After the death of Margaret, in 1586, her fiefdoms passed, through succession, to the Farnese Family that kept their control until 1731. In June 1863, shortly after the unification of Italy, the village was called Borgo Velino. Il 1927, during the Fascist era, Borgo Velino passed under the jurisdiction of the newly formed province of Rieti and was included, the following year, in the municipality of Antrodoco. Only in December 1957 Borgo Velino regained the title of independent municipality.

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What to see?

There are many places to visit in this splendid area. Certainly not to be missed is the Church of St. Matteo Apostolo, built in the 18th century, which with its imposing size, dominates the heart of the historic center of Borgo Velino. The ancient appearance of the exterior contrasted with the splendid apparatus of the interior decoration. The church develops on a central plan covered by the original polychrome floor in hexagonal tiles. The single nave is divided into the sides by chapels, among which the one dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua stands out. At the presbytery, the imposing high altar is surmounted by a large, richly decorated dome. In the village public gardens of the village, there is an extraordinary building which presumably is a monumental nymphaeum, belonging to a Roman rustic villa, used to welcome the Flavians. Like most of the monuments dating back to this era, the construction is made in brick and marked by three large rooms covered with a barrel vault, interspersed with niches. Leaving the Borgo, it is impossible to miss a visit to the remains of the Cassero; in ancient times it was a polygonal defensive structure, almost octagonal, presumably between 12 and 15 meters high. Currently, only four sides of the original structure remain, and precisely those placed on the south and east fronts, which have been partially restored in recent years. Just outside the town, the church of Saints Dionysius, Rustico, and Eleuterio, better known as the church of Saint Anthony, is also unmissable. The building, on the left bank of the Velino River, dates to the century XII but retains ornamental elements of the seventh and eighth centuries or sculptural fragments walled into the facade including a slab with a dedication to the nymphs of Diana. The frescoes of the church of St. Anthony are in the civic museum of Borgo Velino. The church of Saints Dionysius, Rustico, and Eleuterio probably stands on the remains of an ancient temple dedicated to the goddess of hunting. The leading art historian of Rieti, Cesare Verani, attributes the work to Dionisio Cappelli of Amatrice and dates it to the years 1511-22, refuting Mortari hypothesis that attributed the frescoes to Viterbo painters. The frescoes are in the Borgo Velino Civic Museum.

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Where to stay?

Hotel

Agriturismo il Gallo D’Oro

Prenota ora Chiama Mappa

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Where to eat?

Restaurants and pizzerias