During the ancient Roman domination the area was a retreat – a spa whose mineralized hot water baths were easily accessible from Rome along the west branch of the via Flaminia.

Its historical center was once surrounded by medieval walls but, now mostly torn down, leaving only short stretches and a few cylindrical towers that at one time served as part of the town's defenses.

Inside the old part of town, which is quiet and unprepossessing, the principal building of note is the Renaissance-style Palazzo Cesi [it], started in 1564 and completed in 1579 by the architect Giovanni Domenico Bianchi.

The palace's original owner, Federico Cesi, sponsored here an early "scientific society" known as the Accademia dei Lincei, attracting such teachers as Galileo Galilei.

Today the palace hosts a small museum with a number of ancient artefacts, including Roman stone work from nearby Carsulae.