The name Passo Oscuro,
Italian for
dark step, is said to derive from a hunting path. The name is mentioned in a note from
pope Benedict XIII in 1724. The area was donated to the hospital
Pio Istituto di Santo Spirito in
Rome by the Peretti family, owners of the nearby castle
Torre in Pietra. The modern town was populated during the 1920s mainly by fishermen, and development continued after
World War II. Tourism has also developed, with day visitors from
Rome as well as
camping sites. It is the northernmost of all the bathing locations in Fiumicino, and its less central location offers fairly unspoilt beaches and sand dunes. ==Popular culture==