The Caetani castle stands in the civita, the highest and oldest part of the town and is a military installation bult around the year 1000 when all the populations of central Italy took refuge on the hills to escape the barbarian invasions.
The point where the castle of Trevi in Lazio is located was perfect for controlling the Aniene Valley and the communication routes with Abruzzo.
The ancient acropolis was once located on this point and traces of it were found in the arrangement and renovation of the castle.
Around the year 1000, the construction of the castle and the main church began and the first official news dates back to an act of Pope Alexander IV, born in nearby Anagni, who gave the fiefdom of Trevi nel Lazio to the de Rubeis family with whom he was related.
The family reigned for a short period because in 1262 the monastery of Subiaco took over and conflicts began between the de Rubeis and the monastery.
In 1302 Pietro Caetani, brother of Pope Boniface VIII, bought the fiefdom and began the period of government of this important family which made the history of the European Middle Ages.
At the end of the fifteenth century the family was expelled and in 1473 the government of the monks of Subiaco returned.
The castle was much larger and occupied a large part of the city but was partly destroyed during the terrible Marsica earthquake of 1915.
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