Lazio · Rieti
Collalto Sabino
A 980-meter Sabine borgo dominated by a Barberini baronial castle, with a 360-degree panorama from the keep.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Collalto Sabino is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia.
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Visiting
- Best time
- May–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 5 min from Rome
- Population
- 383
- J7°
- F10°
- M11°
- A13°
- M18°
- J23°
- J28°
- A27°
- S22°
- O17°
- N12°
- D9°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
The name preserves Collis Altus and the family who first held the hill. Lombards established the village in the tenth century; the Savelli, Strozzi and Soderini families held it in turn before the fief passed to Cardinal Francesco Barberini in 1641. The castle on the summit is the result of his work and that of his nephew Francesco Barberini junior, who enlarged the keep, fortified the walls and built dungeons inside the rock.
It has a central square tower, two round corner towers and a curtain of watchtowers and sentry posts. The village sits at 980 meters northeast of Rome, walled since the fifteenth century, with the fortress set above the stone houses and the older settlement gathered under it on the slope, narrow stairs and panoramic alleys threading between them. Ownership of the fief changed hands for centuries, from Lombards through three baronial families, before the Barberini building campaign gave the place the fortified shape that has lasted: walls below, keep above, the two still reading as one structure from the approach, the panorama at the summit the reward for climbing through all of it.
How to get there
From Rome Fiumicino (FCO), about 1 h 20 min by car.
Naples (NAP) is about 2 h 47 min away.
By car from the center of Pescara 1 h 51 min or Perugia 2 h 33 min.
Coming by train into Roma Termini? Collalto Sabino is about 1 h 4 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Rome Fiumicino airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Castello Baronale
Dungeons cut into the rock beneath the keep, watchtowers and sentry posts along the curtain wall, the work of Cardinal Francesco Barberini and his nephew after 1641.
Centro storico
Stone houses reached by narrow stairs, alleys that open onto the panorama below the castle walls.
Panorama from the keep
The terrace view takes in Gran Sasso, Terminillo and Maiella at once, the three highest ranges of the central Apennines standing in a single arc from the same point.
Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista
Parish church inside the walls, with a Renaissance altar and a baptismal font from the Barberini rebuilding.
Riserva Naturale Monte Navegna e Monte Cervia
Regional reserve covering the wooded slopes around the village, with marked trails toward Lago del Turano.
From the guides
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
La Locanda del PoetaRistorante
A Gambero Rosso listing, at La Locanda del Poeta.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Collalto Sabino is at the end of the road.
- A village of 383. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Tagliacozzo, is 40 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Tivoli, a city of 55,115, is 49 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 383, down 13.5% since 2015 (Italy's emptying towns)
- Nearest city Tivoli, 49 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Subiaco, 23 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €600 to €800 per m² to buy, €2.70 to €3.50 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Remote
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 99% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Rome Ciampino airport (CIA), 1 h 3 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Rome, 1 h 5 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
9% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, against 9% across Italy. There are 925 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 74% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Rieti province ranks 75th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Subiaco, 23 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Rome, 56 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in L'Aquila, 42 km away. The nearest IB school is Marymount International School Rome, 53 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Little Genius International, 46 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.4% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Lazio spends about €2,270 a month, €580 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €647 a year for water, on the Lazio average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone F, the coldest of Italy's six, with no national limit on when the heating runs. The national maps show no residents in a high or medium flood zone. 5% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
BARBERINI CASTLE
Baronial castle held by the Barberini from 1641, with square keep, two round corner towers and 360-degree panorama.
THREE PEAKS VIEW
Panorama from the keep over Gran Sasso, Terminillo and Maiella, the three highest ranges of the central Apennines.
WALLED BORGO
Fifteenth-century walls and stone-house alleys earning the Borghi più belli d'Italia membership.
Common questions
- What is Collalto Sabino known for?
- Collalto Sabino is a 980-meter Sabine borgo dominated by a Barberini baronial castle, with a 360-degree panorama from the keep.
- Where is Collalto Sabino?
- Collalto Sabino is a comune in the province of Rieti, in Lazio, at 980 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Collalto Sabino?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Rome Ciampino (CIA), about 1 h 3 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Pescara to Collalto Sabino?
- About 1 h 51 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Collalto Sabino?
- Best in May–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 28 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Collalto Sabino?
- Orvinio, Villalago and Goriano Sicoli.
- How many people live in Collalto Sabino?
- 383 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Collalto Sabino a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Collalto Sabino is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Tagliacozzo, is 40 min away. The nearest city, Tivoli, is 49 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Subiaco, 23 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 99% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 980 m
- Population: 383
- Surface area: 22.37 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Collalto Sabino appears in
- The prettiest small villages within 90 minutes of RomeNear Romewithin 90 minprettiest villagessmall6 towns · smallest 217 residents · closest 52 min away
- The best mountain towns in LazioLaziomountain9 towns · smallest 273 residents
- The best hidden mountain towns within 90 minutes of RomeNear Romemountainwithin 90 minhidden10 towns · smallest 325 residents · closest 57 min away
- The best mountain towns within 75 minutes of RomeNear Romemountainwithin 75 min10 towns · smallest 273 residents · closest 57 min away
Similar
Towns like Collalto Sabino
What all six share with Collalto Sabino: mountain-valley towns · under 1,000 people · high up, between 600 and 1,000 metres
Our guide
Our nearest guide, 70 km away
Tuscia: the towns, when to go, how to get there
The Tuscia guide came out of the letter. Letters from the towns we visit. Free.
Read the guide: The land Rome took twice. 16 towns, the drive and train times, the months, where to eat and sleep.
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