Soriano nel Cimino is believed to have originally been an Etruscan village named 'Surrina Vetus', which had been conquered by the Romans thousands of years ago. However the earliest historical documents referring to Soriano date back to the year 747 AD, which consist of papal documents that mention Soriano as being part of the Tuscania diocese.

In 1278, Pope Nicolas III, of the Orsini family constructed the taller tower of the castle as his summer residence. This lasted nearly a century, until the castle was sold to the Holy See, after which it changed hands many times through the years as the balance of power shifted in the region.

In 1497 the Orsini family allied with the king of France, Charles the VIIIth. Against the will of Rome, Soriano became the theater of an important open-field battle that saw the papal army defeated by the Orsinis. They were then defeated and forced to leave Soriano by Cesare Borgia, (Valentino) in 1503.

Soriano and its castle continued to change hands, usually among various members of the pope's family until 1588, when it was sold to the Altemps, who remained lords of the feud for 136 years, until 1715 when i was sold again to the Albani family, who then built the Papacqua Palace and restored numerous monuments. In the first half of the 19th century, Soriano was allotted to Agostino Chigi, a descendant of the Albani family. In 1848 the Chigi family, who now occupied the Papacqua Palace, renounced their feudal rights to the Holy See. After the short Roman Republic of Mazzini (1849) and some isolated insurrection attempts, on the 12th of September 1875, Soriano was finally conquered by the Italian troops during their march toward Rome.

During World War II, when Soriano was occupied by Nazi forces, the castle served as an observation point until June 5th, 1944 when U.S. forces liberated Soriano. Later, the Italian government used the castle as a minimum security prison until the mid 1980's.

Today, the base areas of the castle is a University, while the main towers are open to public tours and offered for parties and wedding receptions.

The Chigi-Albani Palace and the Papacqua Fountain - 1561 AD
The Palace was partially built during the period that the feud belonged to the Madruzzo family. Cardinal Cristoforo Madruzzo commissioned the fountain.

The Papacqua fountain is fed by spring water. It boasts various groups, in single figures and decorations. The main group is made up of figures of animals, satyrs, kids and the God, Pan, below by a huge woman with goat feet. There is also a group of biblical inspiration which shows Moses causing water to spring out of stone, surrounded by the Hebrews. Additionally there are statues representing the four seasons and the gushing masks on one side of the Palace-square.

The church of Saint Nicolas of Bari " (The Main Cathedral) - 1794 AD

Located in the main square (Piazza), the land was previously occupied by two smaller churches dedicated to Our Lady Of The Annunciation and Saint Eustice. This neo-classical cathedral was designed by Giulio Camporese. Inside you will find a Greek cross with a vault at the center, above which a wide dome rises.

The church of Saint Eustice - 1718 AD

The front, a walling of single order, has the architectural part (base, pilasters, cornice, tympanum, door, window) made of pepperino; in the middle of it the pre-eminent window is halved by a pilastered banister and the Albani coat of arms. The inside is single naved but there are three altars on each side. The high altar, a silve bust of S. Eutizio, an XVIIIth century picture of Our Lady ( ascribed to Sebastiano Conca), a marmoreal oil-storer (ascribed to Andrea Bregno and used as baptismal font) and a big Baroque wooden crucifix, are very remarkable.

INNER FOUNTAIN ~1400 AD
Built by Pope Nicolas V to provide a convenient water source for the villagers beneath the castle.

The church of Saint George - ~1000 AD

It is a little Romanic church of the XIth century consecrated to S. George. The temple, all in pepperino, has a little semi-circular apse, it is enriched by various ornaments and sculptures and by a squared bell-tower on the left side. The church has a bell-shaped; the tympanum has a mullioned window with two lights and a column surmounted by a tuscanian capitol. On the sides of the window, there are two angels and evangelical symbols. Lower, some pepperino slabs delimit the tympanum. The door is rounded by basso-rilievos of stylized chestnut-tree branches; on the right of the door there is a sculpture of Christ and on the left one of S. Peter. At half-height there are five horizontal slabs, maybe more ancient than the other basso-rilievos.