Stage 12 - from Rieti to Ponticelli - La Via di Francesco

This leg is the first one wholly within Lazio and this means you are nearing Rome, headed south all the way to the town of Ponticelli di Scandriglia.The route goes through lovely stretches of nature touching on the towns around Rieti. The many ascents and descents make it very difficult and very tiring: the cumulative ascent is some 1,400 metres and the length of the route is 45 kilometres.From the historical centre of Rieti head towards the Terme di Fonte Cottorella and then towards the Via Salaria, where, when you can, you should ride over the dirt paths alongside the road to avoid traffic until you get to San Giovanni Reatino.The itinerary stays very close to the route followed on foot by pilgrims and touches on Ornaro Basso and then goes up to the small town of Colonnetta, where the first real ascent begins.From here you ride along the old Via del Sale, or Salt Road, passing Torricella in Sabina and Poggio San Lorenzo along the way before heading down to the old Vecchia Salaria road and then up again towards Monteleone Sabino, which you reach after some 30 km of travelling. Considering how strenuous it is, if you feel you’d rather not continue (for any number of reasons) you might stop here for the night and recover your strength to face the last climbs the following day.Once past Monteleone Sabino the landscape undergoes a real change as the woods draped over the mountains give way to extensive fields of olive groves and vineyards. Continue towards Poggio Moiano, which marks the start of the final climb before you get to Ponticelli di Scandriglia and conclude the day near Orsini Castle.