The town as as it looks today was founded in 1236, when the inhabitants of its Caere neighbor abandoned the former to be better protected by rock formations. To this they gave the name of Caere Novum (simply Ceri, not to be confused with another neighbor,
Cerenova), in order to distinguish it from the ancient city, Caere Vetus (today
Cerveteri). In the same period, the castle was constructed for the defense of the town.
The town as as it looks today was founded in 1236, when the inhabitants of its Caere neighbor abandoned the former to be better protected by rock formations. To this they gave the name of Caere Novum (simply Ceri, not to be confused with another neighbor,
Cerenova), in order to distinguish it from the ancient city, Caere Vetus (today
Cerveteri). In the same period, the castle was constructed for the defense of the town.
Since the 14th century, Ceri became the property of some of the greatest Italian families: from the Anguillara (of which the greatest exponent was Renzo di Ceri) to
Cesi, the
Borromeo, the
Odescalchi, and ended with the
Torlonia, who are still owners of a large part of Ceri.
