Chalk stream sight fishing

The Santa Susanna rises from one of the great springs of central Italy, just below the village of Rivodutri in the hills above Rieti, and from the moment it surfaces it runs so clear that you will usually see a trout long before you cast to it. It is the kind of river that would draw anglers from across Europe if more of them knew it existed, and the fact that so few do is exactly what makes it worth building a day around during a stay in Rome: on most days you will share the banks with nobody but your guide.

That clarity cuts both ways. The brown trout here have seen enough flies, and enough shadows on the bank, to be genuinely selective, so the fishing is about stalking, reading a fish's feeding rhythm and making the one careful presentation it will accept, rather than covering water. It is technical, occasionally frustrating and deeply rewarding when it comes together, which is why we recommend it to anglers who enjoy a puzzle more than a numbers day.

For a partner who doesn't fish, the area is a pleasant surprise. The Lungo and Ripasottile lakes nature reserve lies just below Rivodutri, with easy walks along the water, while the Rieti valley is dotted with the Franciscan sanctuaries of the so-called Holy Valley, from Greccio to Poggio Bustone, and Rieti itself, traditionally considered the geographic center of Italy, rewards a slow morning in its old town. Rome is roughly an hour and a half away, close enough for an easy day trip and far enough to feel like a different Italy.