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The Cyclopean Walls of Belmonte in Sabina: The "Devil's Wall" of Rieti
Six kilometres from the centre of Belmonte in Sabina, in the locality of Colle Corionaro, stands a massive limestone wall that locals have always called "the Devil's Wall". Enormous blocks, laid mortar-free, form a structure 20 metres long and approximately 4 metres high. The only explanation local inhabitants could come up with was that only the devil could have built something like this.
The Dating Mystery
The irregular boulders fit together with millimetric precision. They form a polygonal masonry structure (opus siliceum) that almost certainly served to hold up an agricultural terrace. There is no consensus on dating: many local guides mention the Bronze Age, but the dry-stone construction technique points more to the Roman Republican period, between the late 2nd and early 1st century BC. The precision of the stonecutting recalls the bastions of Alatri or Segni, only on a smaller scale.
Off the Beaten Track
Today, only a short section of this complex can be visited: collapses over time have reduced the wall’s extension. No ticket offices, no set itineraries. Just bare stone in the midst of the Sabine countryside, reachable by car and freely accessible all year round.
