At 80 kilometres from Rome, surrounded by a splendid view, during the Roman period Cottanello was part of the ager (state land) whose centre was Forum Novum; divided into agricultural plots with simpler domuses and important villas, which came to light in the 1970s.
The first certain information dates back to 1027, but it was during the Orsini family rule in the 13th century that it took on the appearance of a village, with three walls.
The gate, Porta del Regno, rebuilt in 1572, still welcomes whoever enters the fortress.
Worth visiting are the Quarry of red marble and the Hermitage of San Cataldo, carved from the rock: it preserves 9th and 10th-century frescoes, among the most ancient in the Sabina, and according to tradition, Saint Francis stopped here.
From the quarries of Monte Lacerone, they extracted Persichina stone, a beautiful red marble that Bernini also used for 44 columns of the basilica of St. Peter’s in Rome.
The main local dish is stringozzi pasta with spicy sauce, but also mutton steak, pork from the Cottanello mountains and the pizza that can be eaten both sweet and savoury, with its own July festival; during the festival in the alleys of art and food, the very delicate taste of Sabina DOP extra virgin olive oil is highlighted.