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Medieval Gates of Contigliano: Enter through the “Saints”, Escape through the “Coward”
The medieval gates of Contigliano tell the story of the village through their very names. Two openings in the 13th-century walls separate those arriving from those fleeing: the Porta dei Santi (Gate of the Saints) to the southwest, the official entrance to the town, and the Porta Codarda (Coward's Gate) to the northeast, the escape route. The village sits on a hill at the foot of the Sabine Mountains, about 10 km from Rieti, along the Way of St Francis.
A gate that still has its door
The Porta dei Santi still preserves its original wooden door. Over 700 years, and the wood is still there. Just outside, a 17th-century fountain made of local pink stone marks the entrance to the old town centre — cars can get in to the village from here, but have to stop right away at Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. From there, it’s all on foot, through stairways and narrow lanes.
The escape gate and the assault of 1501
The "Coward" gate was the castle's emergency exit — the way out, but not and honourable one. The name took on even more weight in 1501, when Vitellozzo Vitelli, a condottiero in the service of Cesare Borgia, besieged the village. This gate gave way almost immediately. Every August, the reenactment of the Assault on the Castle brings those events back to life, along with the Palio dell'Ariete (Battering Ram Race) on the slope leading up to the Porta dei Santi.
