Immersed in the Lungo and Ripasottile Lakes Reserve, Rivodutri boasts origins that date back to the 11th century.
Its history was marked by the struggles between the Guelphs and Ghibellines and by the imposition of the Government of the Papal State, by Cardinal Giovanni Vitelleschi who, in 1436, partially destroyed the village.
It took about a century to rebuild it. Today it preserves the Church of San Michele Arcangelo and the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Valle, from the 18th century, with the rock painting of the Virgin.
In the historic centre, the Alchemical Arch stands out, a portal with splendid bas-reliefs, carved in limestone, characterized by friezes, symbols and inscriptions of an alchemical, mythological, and sacral nature.
In the Grotte San Nicola area we find the remains of the Villa of the Roman senator Quinto Assio, now an archaeological site.
San Francesco Beech
Worth seeing is the Santa Susanna Source, a natural monument since 1977, and the San Francesco Beech, an important testimony to the Saint’s passage through the village. Not far from the beech tree is the small church of San Francesco al Cepparo, on a plateau at 1,090 meters above sea level.
Underwater Nativity Scene of the Santa Susanna Source in Rivodutri – Facebook @plrivodutri
Here, in the Santa Reatina Valley, a Nativity is hidden in the depths, the Underwater Nativity Scene of the Santa Susanna Source in Rivodutri. The fact of being the only Underwater Nativity scene set up inside a spring, a natural monument of the Lazio Region, makes it unique in Central Italy. The Nativity scene is made with fiberglass statues, approximately 1.5 meters high and placed 4 meters deep, in the clear waters. The headlights in this unusual environmental setting allows night vision, giving strong emotions.
Among the curiosities of Rivodutri we find the typical carnival mask, called the Zanno, among the first carnival masks in the Rieti area, with which the Moresca was staged, an ancient representation of the struggle between good and evil.
Typical dishes are stringozzi with meat sauce and fried pizza accompanied by local pecorino cheese. Among the desserts, the Christmas snake prepared with hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds and dried figs.
In February the local extra virgin olive oil festival takes place and in August the organic trout and prawn festival is organized with a triumph of fish-based dishes such as sesame carp.