Rieti, city, Lazio (Latium) regione, central Italy, on the Velino River in the Abruzzi Apennines, just southeast of Terni. The ancient town was first settled by the Sabines and then became the Roman Reate. It belonged to the Lombard duchy of Spoleto in the early European Middle Ages and later passed to the Papal States (popes often resided there). Surrounded by 13th-century walls, its notable buildings include the 12th-century Romanesque cathedral (much rebuilt), the episcopal palace (1283), and the Palazzo Comunale with a museum and picture gallery. Rieti is a road junction for Rome (53 miles [87 km] southwest), Terni, and L’Aquila. Among its industries are woolen and rayon mills and a beet-sugar refinery. Pop. (2006 est.) mun., 47,050.