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Greccio is an old hilltown and ''comune'' of the province of Rieti in the Italian region of Lazio, overhanging the Velino river on a spur of the Monti Sabini, a sub-range of the Apennines, about by road northwest of Rieti, the nearest large town. The actual town of Greccio has been depopulating, and the administrative functions of the comune are now in the ''frazione'' of Limiti di Greccio. ==History== Greccio was founded, according to tradition, as a Greel colony. They had fled or were exiled from their homeland as a result of war. They settled here for the natural protection it offered. Hence the name Greece, Grece, Grecce and finally Greccio. The earliest records date back to the Tenth and Eleventh centuries. The Benedictine Monk, Gregory of Catino (1062-1133) refers to the town of Greccio (curte de Greccia) in his work "Summary Farfense". From the remains of the ancient buildings it shows that Greccio became a fortified medieval castle surrounded by walls and protected by six towers fortress. During the struggle with neighboring cities, the castle was destroyed in 1242 by the troops of Frederick II. They had a difficult history until 1799 when the town was destroyed and looted by the Napoleonic army.〔 Greccio was the place where, in December 1223, St. Francis devised the first living crib (in Italian: ''presepe''). The idea was to discourage would-be pilgrims to go to Bethlehem, as it was a risky adventure, the Holy Land being then under the control of the Turks. The tradition continues there to this day, and a memorial of St. Francis, the Santuario di S. Francesco, may be visited. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Greccio」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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