Nerola is a small medieval village perched on a picturesque rocky outcrop on the border between the provinces of Rieti and Rome, along the Salaria road. The village shelters around its ancient and imposing castle which, from its position at the top of the hill, dominates one of the mountain passes through which the ancient Sabine tribes entered to colonise the nearby plains of the River Tiber, where they founded several cities, including their capital Cures.
"Castrum Nerulae" was founded by Count Benedetto Crescenzi, rector of Sabina, during the second half of the tenth century on the site of an ancient Sabine settlement.  The town remained in the hands of the Crescenzi family throughout the eleventh century until it was incorporated into Papal lands. At the end of the twelfth century the castle was ceded to the powerful Orsini family, who enlarged the keep, reinforced the defences and encircled the by now expanded village with thick defensive walls.

In 1644 Nerola passed into the possession of the Barberini family, then to the Sciarra – Colonna family, the, Lante della Rovere family and, in 1939, to the Marquis G. Giacomo Ferrari Frey.

 

Meanwhile the medieval village of Nerola was enlarged and enriched, and its well-preserved treasures, together with the pleasant countryside that surrounds it and its fascinating history, represent a rich heritage for the inhabitants and a delight for visitors.

Unlike the historical territory of Sabina, which was much larger, the present day Sabina is made up of the Reatine Sabina and the Roman Sabina. The area lies north of Rome, between the River Tiber, the Sabini and Lucretili mountain ranges, the Reatine Valley and the region of Umbria. It is a landscape of rolling hills, mountains and narrow valleys, punctuated by medieval hill-towns, castles, churches and abbeys.
Olive trees and olive oil production have undisputedly dominated the Sabina area ever since they were first introduced and cultivated by the ancient Sabine tribes, long before the foundation of Rome. The olive oil of Sabina was already renowned in Roman times, and is mentioned by Roman writers such as Horace, Columella, Virgil and Terenzio Varrone. This tradition continues today, thanks to the climate, the lime-rich, dry, and permeable soil, as well as the well-adapted local varieties of olive trees. 

 

Sabina was one of the first olive oil producing areas in Italy to receive the DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) quality mark DOC - Sabina, with a decree from the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Resources dated 29 March 1995, published in the G. U. 142/1995. It has also gained recognition from the European Union as a protected origin denomination (DOP - Sabina), with the ruling no.2081/92.