Orbetello was an ancient
Etruscan settlement, which in 280 BC passed under the control of the
Romans, who had founded their colony of
Cosa (near the modern
Ansedonia). The Roman family of the Domitii Ahenobarbi had a substantial property here, subsequently inherited by the emperor
Domitian through his wife
Domitia Longina. Domitian built other sumptuous villas nearby for his courtiers. In the Middle Ages it was a possession of the
Aldobrandeschi family, who held it until the 14th century, when it was acquired by the city of
Orvieto. After several struggles with the
Orsini of
Pitigliano and Orvieto, in the following centuries Orbetello was captured by the
Sienese Republic. In the mid-16th century it was part of the
State of Presides, a Spanish possession, becoming its capital. The town was besieged by the French during the
1635-1659 Franco-Spanish War. This led to the inconclusive naval
Battle of Orbetello on 14 June; in July, a Spanish army forced the French to lift the siege. After the fall of the
Republic of Siena, when the territory of Siena passed to Tuscany,
Philip II of Spain retained Orbetello,
Talamone,
Monte Argentario and the island of
Giannutri until 1713, under the name of the . There remained many Spanish names among the inhabitants of Orbetello. In 1713 this district passed by treaty to the emperor, in 1736 to the king of the two Sicilies, in 1801 to the
kingdom of Etruria, and in 1814 to the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany. It formed part of the Grand Duchy until 1860, when it joined the newly
unified Kingdom of Italy. In 1927–33,
Italo Balbo's "air cruises" started from Orbetello's lagoon. During
World War II, the
German Air Force's 2nd Squadron of
Embarked Air Group 196 used the lagoon as a base for its
Arado Ar 196 float planes for a brief period in 1943. ==Government==