The devil’s bridge across the river Fiora in Canino was built by the Etruscans and Romans in the third century BC, and the Medieval castle, originally a Benedictine abbey, was built to protect it. The bridge was an important artery across the river between the Papal States and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and was fought over bitterly by everyone.

From the 12th century onwards it was controlled at various times by the ruling Aldobrandeschi family, Orvieto, and the Prefects of Vico, each adding to the castle and fortifications and imposing lookout tower. The future Pope Paul III lived here from 1513 onwards, as did Luciano Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother, when he was Prince of Canino, and in the 19th century it was a Papal customs point. Since 1975 the castle has been used as the National Archaeological Museum of Vulci, where artifacts from the archaeological excavations of Vulci are exhibited.