The 2009 L'Aquila earthquake contributed to the collapse of a bridge in Fossa,[3] and caused extensive damage to the residential buildings in the town.

[5] The first traces of human presence in the area in pre-Roman times date back to the Vestini, with the remains of fortifications on Mount Cerro and the necropolis from the 9th century BC.

The original settlement of Fossa dates from the early 12th century and consisted essentially of the keep on the summit and the dwellings contained in the fortified enclosure.

Expansion of the hamlet began in the late 13th century along the ridge of the karst sinkhole itself with a concentric settlement around the fortified enclosure.

The castle's efficiency lasted through the 16th century, overtaken then by the invention of firearms and the development of trade that broke the closed medieval economy.