Since ancient times, the town has been occupied by Italian people. The
Aurunci were the first to occupy the town. They were then followed by the
Volsci. Isoletta is known for the Roman ruins of
Fregellae. In the Middle Ages, Isoletta was known as "Insula" (Isola) and "Insula Pontis Solarati". (Isola del Ponte Solarato), The first fortification dates back to 702, when the
Lombards of
Benevento made settlement in order to use the land as a garrison for their raids in the Liri Valley (
Arpino,
Sora). In 1046, the town was incorporated by
Richard I in the heritage of the counts of Aquino. The counts of Ceccano and the
Abbey of Montecassino also had lands. In 1139,
Pope Innocent II declared war against the King
Roger I of Sicily, and his troops destroyed Isoletta during an invasion of southern Italy. Due to family relationships between Aquinos and Celanos, the village became entered into Celanos' possession. This occurred during a period in which the natives of Abruzzo were at the peak of their political and economic prestige.
Thomas of Celano, head of the army of the
Chiavesignati during the
War of the Keys, organized and financed the construction of the first castle. From there, with
Ruggieri dell'Aquila, he organized the siege of Arce. The Chiavesignati, having been defeated in Abruzzo, the Celanos were forced to give away all their conquests and properties beyond
Marsica (
Molise,
Valle Latina) including Isoletta, which then became a possession of a local family, the Spinellos. When Leonardo Della Rovere became Duke of Sora in 1465, he obtained Sora, Arce, and Isoletta as concessions. He extended the old military structure and built a real castle. For a short time, the area was under the administration of
William de Croÿ, before moving to
Boncompagni in 1579. In 1944, Isoletta was the setting of
marocchinate, where Moroccans of the French Army raped and killed, primarily women. Norman Lewis, a British officer in the
Battle of Monte Cassino at the time, recounted the events in a book he wrote: "The French colonial troops are on the rampage again. Whenever they take a village or a town, a wholesale rape of the population takes place. Recently all females in the villages of Patricia, Pofi, Isoletta, Supino, and Morolo, were violated. [...] children and even old men were violated. It is reported to be normal for two Moroccans to assault a woman simultaneously, one having normal intercourse, while the other commits sodomy. In many cases severe damages to the genitals, rectum and uterus has been caused." - Norman Lewis, Naples '44: A World War II Diary of Occupied Italy The patron saint is Santa Maria della Vittoria. For years, she was celebrated on the first Sunday of October; however, as of the early 2000s the day is now celebrated on the last Sunday of August. == Archaeology ==