Selci (flint) is a small town in the Lower Sabine, in the province of Rieti, with a typical medieval oval shape, surrounded by green hills. The main access to the old center is still the ancient door "Castru Silice". Once inside visitors find themselves in a maze of narrow streets and alleys. The town's name seems to derive from the presence in the past of a paved road.
The town developed in the Middle Ages and, specifically, in conjunction with the Saracen invasions, which forced the inhabitants of the nearby "Castrum Campolungo" to find shelter in the present territories of Selci. For a long period it belonged to the Abbey of Farfa and subsequently it was submitted under the direct control of the Holy See, for its strategic geographic position. Later the town was ceded in fief to the Orsini, to the Cesi and to the Vaini.
Sites of Interest:
- the remains of the fortified walls and the stone watchtowers of the ancient Castrum Silicij;
- the Church of the Holy Saviour, which preserves within precious paintings from the XVII and XVIII centuries;
- the rural Churches scattered in the countryside (the Church of St. Stephen, the Church of Saint Eleuterio, the Church of St. Vincent, the Church of St. Bonaventura, the Church of San Domenico and the Church of Saint Lucia);
- the Strains of the Imperial Tombs, found between the remains of the Villa of Tulliano.