Village of Labro, Rieti Province, Italy

© Marco Ilari/Shutterstoc

History on the hill. Village of Labro, Italy

Join us for a journey to a tiny Italian village about 40 miles northeast of Rome. Labro, which covers about 4.4 square miles, was founded sometime between the 9th and 10th centuries and was assigned to a powerful aristocratic family by Emperor Otto the Great. Perched atop a wooded hill, the Nobili-Vitelleschi castle originally served to secure the border and control communication routes in the valley below.

With its panoramic views and historic buildings, Labro is now a popular tourist destination, having been restored for the purpose shortly after World War II, when its existence was threatened by a mass exodus of the population.