according to the "liber pontificalis", in the 9th century frascati was a little village, probably founded two centuries earlier. the name of the city probably comes from a typical local tradition of collecting firewood ("frasche" in italian)—many place-names around the town refer to trees or wood. after the destruction of nearby tusculum in 1191, the town's population increased and the bishopric moved from tusculum to frascati. pope innocent iii endorsed the city as a feudal possession of the basilica of san giovanni in laterano, but in the following centuries its territories were ravaged by frequent raids that impoverished it. it was owned by various baronial families, including the colonna, until, in 1460, pope pius ii fortified the city with walls.