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Reopasto, the ghost village in the Holy Valley of Rieti, to be explored with respect
Just a few minutes from Contigliano, in the Valle Santa Reatina (Holy or Sacred Valley of Rieti), we find Reopasto, a place where time has stood still. This ghost village was frozen in the 1960s, when its last inhabitants left. Today, walking among its silent ruins is a powerful journey into the recent past of the Sabina region, through houses reclaimed by nature and stories left unfinished.
A castle with counts and monks
The village’s history begins in the early Middle Ages, around a strategically positioned castle founded by the Counts of the Marsi. The counts sold it in 1069 to the powerful Abbey of Farfa, which maintained control over it for centuries. The final abandonment is recent history, coming about during the 1960s due to gradual depopulation.
What can be seen today among the ruins
Today Reopasto is a labyrinth of crumbling buildings, where roofs have collapsed and vegetation is reclaiming its space. Among the tumbledown houses, the façade of the 18th-century church of Sant'Andrea (St Andrew) still stands. The silence is absolute. It is a place that calls for respect and attention, to be visited with the utmost caution.
The village is not a tourist site, and any visit is at one's own risk. It lies along the route of the Cammino di Francesco (Way of St Francis), and close to the cycle path of the Conca Reatina, but direct access to the ruins requires the greatest care.
