The first evidence of a permanent settlement dates back to the
Copper Age (3400-2200 BC). In this period a village of huts was established in the area that is currently called Cerquete-Fianello, located in the southern part of the locality (Manfredini
et alii, 2002). Before the reclamation, the territory was rather marshy, with two little lakes (now dried up), one located in the area farthest from the most populated area and the other near the castle called Villa San Giorgio. A property of the Roman family of the Normanni in the 13th century, around 1300 it saw the building of the castle of Villa San Giorgio, which hosted the Alessandrini, the
Anguillara and later the
Mattei; the latter, during the 16th century, unified
Vaccarese with the estates of Cortecchia and Castello San Giorgio, together with estates of other families of the Roman nobility and religious bodies. The estate ultimately reached the total extent of about 1,700
rubbi (equal to over 3,000 hectares). In 1569 the restoration of the castle took place, while in 1574 Torre Primavera was built. In the 17th century the estate passed from the Mattei into the hands of the
Rospigliosi, who were the last owners before the estate's complete reclamation. In 1925 the great reclamation began, promoted by a company made up by financial investors. Motivated by the fees made available by the State, they tried to reclaim the area with the aim of making the land fertile, dividing the estate into farms and then selling them. The project was not completed. Due to a substantial increase in the availability of new farmlands spawned by the reclamation project, the prices of landed properties and agricultural products had in the meantime collapsed. Hence, by the beginning of the 1930s, the land was no longer seen as a safe haven. Unsustainably high operating costs meant investors were forced to rely on a public holding company,
IRI. In the meantime, numerous settlers arrived from the
Province of Mantua and above all from
Veneto to cultivate fields, plant vineyards and manage dairy cattle. Over the years Maccarese became a showcase of Italian agriculture. Starting in the 1950s, workforce redundancies and controversial management decisions led to a long downturn that lasted until 1998, when the company - which owned more than of agricultural land as well as the castle and other important buildings - was privatised and purchased by Edizione Holding of the
Benetton brothers for 94 billion
lire. == IPGRI - Maccarese mill ==