Traces of the first real inhabited centre of Caprarola can be found in the Old Town, in Piazza Sicilia, in the adjacent Aquilone quarter and in the Sterpeta, Corsica and Sardinia quarters. Around the thirteenth century the urban centre was well developed with the fortress and the fortified village, which could only be accessed through two gates: Porta Castello and Porta Romana. The Old Town and the Aquilone quarter were part of this town. In the Corsica and Sardinia quarters, caves formerly used as dwellings and, in recent times as stables and cellars, can still be seen.
The unique geology of Caprarola with the various districts outlined by trenches – that of Mazzocchio to the east and Pilo or St. Teresa in the west – on different levels, forced Vignola to design large bridges. In order to build the bridge of the Nuns above what is now Piazza Sicilia, several houses in the upper part of the Fornella district were destroyed between 1560 and 1563. In Piazza Sicilia you can clearly see the relevant structures of the imposing Castle of Vico, which have been incorporated into the Palazzo Fusaro.
