 The village arose from a small settlement called Casali, which had few inhabitants prior to 925.As a result of the construction of the fortified "rocca", sited to control the entrance to the Valle del Sangro and the Cinquemiglia plain, from Saracen or Byzantine, the centre formed, with the passing of time, into a typical medieval walled village on the slopes directly under the castle.The higher part of the village consists of steep roads leading towards the castle, and linked by narrow passageways between buildings constructed on the naked bedrock.