The Sabine Hills that surround Rieti are some of Italy's most quietly productive agricultural lands. This is a landscape of tidy olive groves, lentil fields stretching across high plateaus, oak forests rich with truffles, and vineyards that have produced wine since Roman times. Eating in Rieti is not about fancy plating or molecular gastronomy — it is about ingredients. The olive oil here will change the way you think about olive oil. The lentils are unlike any you have tried. And the local pork products are a masterclass in charcuterie.
Here is your guide to the essential flavours of Rieti and the Sabina.
Olio Sabino DOP — The Liquid Gold of Sabina
The extra-virgin olive oil produced in the Sabine Hills is among the most awarded in Italy, and for good reason. Olio Sabino DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) is made primarily from the Carboncella, Leccino, Frantoio, and Moraiolo olive varieties, grown on the limestone hills that stretch from Rieti south toward Farfa and the Tiber Valley.
What sets it apart? The altitude. Sabine olive groves sit between 200 and 600 metres above sea level, which means the olives ripen more slowly, developing deeper flavour compounds. The oil is typically harvested early (late October to November), producing a green-gold liquid with pronounced notes of grass, artichoke, tomato leaf, and a distinctive peppery finish that lingers on the back of the throat.
Where to try it: Every restaurant in Rieti serves Sabine olive oil at the table, but for the full experience, visit a frantoio (olive mill) during harvest season. The Strada dell'Olio della Sabina (Sabine Oil Road) is a marked itinerary linking dozens of producers. Many offer tastings where you can sample oils from different olive varieties and press dates. The difference between a November-pressed oil and a December one is education in a single mouthful.
Lenticchie di Castelluccio IGP
If there is one ingredient that defines the mountain cuisine of the Rieti area, it is the small brown lentil grown on the Piano Grande di Castelluccio. These lentils are small — the smallest of all cultivated lentils — with a thin skin that means they require no soaking and cook in just 15-20 minutes. Their flavour is earthy, slightly sweet, with a minerality that reflects the high-altitude karst soil they grow in.
Lenticchie di Castelluccio hold IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta) status, meaning only lentils grown in the defined area around Castelluccio can legally bear the name. The harvest takes place in August, and the dried lentils are available year-round. Pair them with Sabine olive oil, a splash of local vinegar, and perhaps a crumble of pecorino for one of Italy's most perfect simple dishes.
Where to try it: Ristorante Il Piano in Castelluccio itself serves a legendary zuppa di lenticchie with fresh olive oil. In Rieti, Trattoria da Gigetto (near Piazza Cavour) includes Castelluccio lentils in several seasonal dishes. You can also buy them directly from producers at the weekly market on Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II (Wednesday and Saturday mornings).
Black Truffles of the Monti Reatini
The oak and beech forests of the Monti Reatini are rich with black truffles (Tuber aestivum and Tuber uncinatum), harvested from late spring through autumn. Truffle hunting is a small industry here, with licensed hunters and their dogs working the hillsides near Leonessa, Posta, and Borbona — all within 30-40 minutes of Rieti.
Rieti's restaurants embrace truffles with enthusiasm. You will find them grated over fresh pasta, shaved onto scrambled eggs, folded into risotto, or simply served on crostini with molten pecorino. The flavour is milder and more approachable than the white truffles of Alba — earthy, nutty, with a hint of cocoa and forest floor.
The Sagra del Tartufo Nero (Black Truffle Festival) in nearby Leonessa, typically held in October or November, is the best opportunity to taste a wide range of truffle dishes and buy fresh truffles directly from hunters.
Porchetta della Sabina
Central Italy has a glorious tradition of porchetta — deboned, seasoned, and spit-roasted pork — and the Sabine version is among the best. The pork is typically seasoned with wild fennel, garlic, rosemary, and black pepper, then slow-roasted until the skin is crackling-crisp and the meat is fall-apart tender.
In Rieti, porchetta is sold by street vendors and rosticcerie (rotisserie shops) throughout the week, but it is especially popular on market days and festival weekends. The best way to eat it is in a soft bread roll with a squeeze of lemon — a simple, savage, perfect lunch.
Look for Norcineria Sabina on Via Garibaldi, which makes its own porchetta and other local cured meats, or hunt down the porchetta truck that sets up near the Duomo on Saturday mornings.
Amatriciana — Born Just Down the Road
The town of Amatrice lies about 40 kilometres northeast of Rieti, making the province of Rieti the true spiritual home of pasta all'amatriciana. The classic recipe is simple to the point of austerity: guanciale (cured pork cheek), pecorino cheese, black pepper, and tomatoes cooked until the sauce is thick and intensely savoury, served with bucatini or spaghetti.
Despite the name, amatriciana in Amatrice itself is traditionally served with spaghetti rather than bucatini — a detail worth knowing for authenticity points. The annual Sagra degli Spaghetti all'Amatriciana in August draws crowds from across Italy.
Pecorino and Other Local Cheese
The pastures of the Monti Reatini and the Sabine Hills produce excellent sheep's milk cheeses. Pecorino della Sabina is typically aged for 3-6 months, developing a firm, flaky texture and a pleasantly sharp, salty finish. Younger versions (pecorino fresco) are soft, mild, and creamy.
Other cheeses to seek out: caciotta (a semi-soft cow's milk cheese, sometimes flavoured with truffle or chilli), ricotta salata (aged, salted ricotta, perfect for grating over pasta), and giuncata (a fresh, unripened cheese similar to quark, often served with honey or fruit).
The Rieti Cherry
The Ciliegia di Rieti is a local variety with protected status — dark red, intensely sweet, with a firm flesh that makes them excellent for both eating fresh and preserving. Cherry season runs from late May through June, and during those weeks, you will find them everywhere: at the market, on dessert menus, in jams, and sometimes even paired with savoury dishes like roasted duck or pork.
Wine of the Sabina
The Sabina DOC wine zone covers the hills between Rieti and Rome. The reds — based on Sangiovese, Montepulciano, and sometimes Cesanese — are medium-bodied, with bright red fruit and a herbal edge that pairs beautifully with local cuisine. The whites, primarily Trebbiano and Malvasia, are fresh and uncomplicated. Seek out a bottle of Sabina DOC Rosso from a local producer like Cantina La Sosta or Tenuta di Pietraffitta.
Where to Eat in Rieti
- Antico Ristoro di Cambio — Piazza Cavour. Historic trattoria serving Sabine classics with seasonal truffle and lentil dishes.
- Trattoria da Gigetto — Near Piazza Cavour. Homestyle cooking, excellent Castelluccio lentil soup and porchetta.
- Osteria del Vicolo — Centro Storico. Wine bar with an exceptional selection of Sabina wines and cheese boards.
- Pizzeria La Fonte — Via della Fonte. Traditional wood-fired pizza with local toppings.
- Il Frantoio — Via Salaria. Oil producer and shop with tasting-room lunches featuring their own olive oil.