Greccio is a village in the upper Sabina, between Umbria and Rieti, which is part of the club of the most beautiful villages in Italy, and is the main stage of the Cammino di Francesco, home to the sanctuary founded by San Francesco to be the place where the latter invented the crib.
The 800th anniversary of the Peace Pilgrimage of St. Francis and the meeting he had here with the Sultan of Egypt Al-Malik Al-Kamil was celebrated in 2019. From this meeting Francesco had the idea of creating the nativity scene, which was born three years later, in 1223. It goes without saying that Greccio is the town of Christmas par excellence and if you have the opportunity to visit it between December 24 and January 6 you can immerse yourself in the evocative atmosphere that the party for the Greccio Nativity can offer, but also at different times it is a place full of historical and architectural attractions. There is the Museum of Cribs, which houses various artistic expressions of the Nativity and the statue, 5 meters high, depicting St. Francis. From the ancient medieval village you can enjoy a splendid view over the plain of Rieti.
The village of Greccio, which is about 15km from Rieti, is located at 705 meters above sea level. It is the ideal starting point for long walks in the oak and holm oak woods. You can go to the discovery of the "Cappelletta", which stands in the place where St. Francis retired in prayer in a hut protected by two hornbeam trees. About 2 km from the village of Greccio, perched on the rock of a wooded ridge, like an eagle's nest, stands the majestic Santuario del Presepe, built in 1288, to commemorate the first living nativity scene represented by Francis of Assisi in 1223.
For those wishing to tackle a slightly longer excursion, it is possible to climb to the top of Monte Lacerone (1,204 m a.s.l.), from which you can enjoy a priceless view of the underlying Valle Santa Reatina.
The presence of Francesco also resounds in the food and wine festivals. Also in December you might come across the "Franciscan first course" to remember traditional recipes such as Saccottini with an orange heart, gnocchi with truffles and fraticelli with a wood flavor.
For tourist information you can consult the website visitgreccio.it.
Photo: by Christopher John SSF from Stroud, NSW, Australia - 20090715_Greccio_066, CC BY 2.0,
