Glinding

All gliding enthusiasts in Italy admit that their favourite sport has a capital city, Rieti. Almost a century of history and many successes, in fact, have allowed the city to host the World Gliding Championships until 2008.

The weather conditions, the nearby mountains and the large size of the Rieti valley make this area the right place to approach this sport. Between March and October, the air thermal that are formed in the basin help gliders in their flight, but it is the dynamic energy of the stronger winter winds from the north-east that allows spectacular high-altitude flying.

The short distance from Rome and the possibility to easily reach the Central Appennines’ highest massifs like Monti della Laga and Gran Sasso, certainly contribute to the success of Rieti. Precisely for this reason there are many gliding enthusiasts, from Italy and abroad, who stop every year in our city to enjoy our high-altitude panoramas.

Flying is not for everyone and those who cannot fly will never understand the reasons that prompt another human being not to be satisfied with what he has on dry land, to look further, to detach himself from the ground. And gliding will leave you with the magnificent feeling of being able to overcome every limit.

Leonardo Da Vinci was not wrong when he said that “When you walk on earth after flying, you will look at the sky because you have been there and you want to come back again”.