Agosta is a medieval village on an offshoot of the Simbruini mountains, in the Aniene valley north-east of Rome and is very close to the Subiaco Abbey which for many centuries influenced the political and economic life of the whole territory. Its history begun very early and this was the territory of the Aequi, then conquered by the Romans in 304 BC.
Due to its proximity to the city of Rome and the abundance of waters of the Aniene Valley, several Roman villas were built in the territory of Agosta and the nearby villages, but above all the large Anio Vetus aqueduct (from the name of the Aniene river) in 272 to. C., during the Roman Republic.
Its name probably comes from the Augusta spring which feeds the Acqua Marcia aqueduct, one of the main sources of supply in Rome. The aqueduct has a length of about 90 km and which had been strengthened by the emperor Augustus, who gave his name to the source. In one of the first documents of the Middle Ages, the hill where the village is located was also called Augusta, so we can say that the current village takes its name from the emperor Augustus.
In the territory of Agosta there was also a small lake and a landing place which it is said was used by Nero to reach his villa in Subiaco by sailing on the river.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the people left the lower part of the valley and took refuge in fortresses on the hills, that of Agosta very soon became part of the control system of the nearby Subiaco Abbey. We can say that the whole story of Agosta largely coincides with that of the Benedictine monastery who had been able to restore social order after the end of Rome and had created their own possession.
The coat of arms of Agosta shows a part of the Roman aqueduct and the cross of St Benedict to summarize the two fundamental aspects that have characterized the history of this village.
The monastery appointed one of its edible for the administration who resided in the castle where large spaces were dedicated to the storage of agricultural products, the tithes destined for the monastery.
An important episode in the life of the town was the armed clash between two abbots of the Subiaco abbey and the imprisonment of the abbot Simone di Cassino in the castle of Agosta. In the fight the German army of Frederick Redbeard was called which besieged and destroyed the castle.
Another moment of tension occurred around the end of the fourteenth century when the Colonna family had tried to undermine the power of the Abbey by trying to conquer the castle of Agosta, without succeeding.
The great abundance of water has naturally led to the construction of mills and trout farms. According to a legend, the first trout festival was born when the faithful rushed to bring trout to Abbot Giovanni Torquemada during a stop at the landing on the small lake of the Aniene river.
After the sack of Rome and the clashes between the papacy and the abbey, Agosta and the monasteries passed under the control of the Colonna family and then of the Barberinis until 1738.
Since 1615, Agosta has become a destination for pilgrimages after the miracle of the cure of the possessed and the sanctuary of the Madonna del Passo was built.
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