THE TERRITORY
Nerola is a charming mediaeval village on the Via Salaria, perched on a high outcrop on the border between the provinces of Rome and Rieti. The village nestles around its ancient and imposing castle, built at the top of the hill overlooking one of the passes by which the ancient Sabines entered the area and then settled on the Tiber plain, founding a number of cities including Cures, their ancient capital. The village is to the north of Rome, and between the River Tiber, the Sabine mountains, the Lucretili mountains, the Rieti valley and the region of Umbria. By ancient tradition, the village derives its name from the famous Roman emperor Nero, whose effigy was adopted as an emblem for the Municipality. As it stands at 450 metres above sea level, Nerola was once considered a strategic stronghold, and was used by defenders of the assets of the Church during the Lombard and Saracen invasions. It was because of these invasions that Benedetto Crescenzi, lord of Nerola, ordered the construction of the splendid castle that still dominates the village. Since its erection in the year 1000, the castle has changed hands many times, becoming the property of the Orsini family in the 15th century. It was the wife of Prince Flavio Orsini, Anna Maria di Tremille, who introduced Nerola Water or “Nerolì” into France in about 1680. This oil extracted from wild orange flowers is still used today in pharmacology and cosmetics. The whole of Sabina is still dominated by olive cultivation, a primary crop that the ancient Sabine people began growing long before the founding of Rome