In ancient times, Ferento was known as ‘ the splendid town’. Situated near the Tiber valley, this small Roman municipium flourished in the early Roman period. Yet, a few centuries earlier the Etruscans had already occupied the area of Ferento. They built a small town at Acquarossa (7th-6th century BC), not far from the place where Ferento was built some centuries later. The life of the Etruscan town came to a sudden end for unknown reasons. Perhaps, the Etruscans of Orvieto (Velzna) destroyed it after a war.

The Swedish school of archaeology made excavations in the Acquarossa area in the 1960’s, and the remains of some Etruscan houses were unearthed, as well as the ruins of a sacred building, probably the residence of a powerful religious authority. Some finds from Acquarossa are shown at the Etruscan National Museum of Viterbo (Rocca Albornoz) along with some faithful reproductions of the ancient Etruscan buildings. After the destruction of Acquarossa, the Romans rebuilt the new town of Ferento on the hill of Pianicara. Among the most interesting things to be seen at Ferento are a Roman theatre, the Roman baths and the remains of the old Ferentiense road. In the Middle Ages Ferento was a flourishing town; in 1172 it was razed to the ground after a war against Viterbo, and the place was definitely abandoned.

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