Posta: Churches, Cammino di Francesco and Antica Via Salaria

Churches and historic buildings

The Chiesa di Santa Rufina is considered the oldest church in Posta and is located on the road toward Bacugno. The Chiesa di Sant'Antonio was originally built in the 14th century as a church dedicated to Saint Augustine, together with a convent for Augustinian nuns devoted to Saint Mary Magdalene. The Chiesa di San Felice dates from the year 1300. Together, these buildings show how varied the religious and historical traces in the town are.

The historic sites of Posta also include the remains of the Castello di Machilone. They are considered a historical site worth visiting; today, only a few walls barely rising above the ground are visible, while most of the complex lies underground. A fresco from 1572 can also be found at the Porta della Gabella. Visible walls and a surviving work of art each add their own distinctive accents to the town's history.

Antica Via Salaria and Valle Scura

The archaeological route of the Antica Via Salaria follows Roman remains through the Gole del Velino. Its route is lined with stones, walls, clearly recognizable road surfaces and cuttings, and leads to Posta. There, large rectangular stones can be seen serving as roadside boundary stones. A notable testimony to this ancient connection is Il Miglio, an unusually large milestone that marked half of the entire distance between Rome and Ascoli.

In the area around Posta, the Valle Scura is regarded as a gorge with a distinctive environment and biological diversity. Together with the traces of the Antica Via Salaria, it opens up a way of experiencing the landscape that combines historical observation with an interest in natural spaces. Anyone wishing to explore the Valle Santa more deeply during a trip will therefore find various points of interest in Posta: churches, archaeological traces of the route, a historic complex and a characteristic gorge.

A Feast Day in Bacugno

Every year on August 5, Bacugno di Posta hosts celebrations in honor of S. Maria della Neve. Once the celebrations have concluded, typical sweet ciammelletti made by local women are thrown from the church wall into the crowd gathered in the church square. This fixed date and the distinctive local tradition give the area around Posta its own cultural rhythm. For your travel planning, Bacugno is therefore a specific point of reference if you are interested in festivals, religious traditions and regional everyday culture.

More destinations for your trip to Italy

If you would like to add more places to your trip in Italy, here is a selection: Poggio Sommavilla, Poggio Mirteto, Collegiove, Cantalupo In Sabina, Cottanello, Contigliano, Rieti and Cantalice.

For the higher-level travel overview: Rieti.