The city and its territory, where in late antiquity farming villages had sprung up around the parish churches, were often the victims of wars and incursion, so that in the Middle Ages the city was fortified by a circuit of walls. In 774 Charlemagne donated it to the Papacy and in 946 it passed into the hands of the nobles Savelli family, who built a castle on the hill bearing their name and a palace in the centre of city. In the 16th and 17th centuries an urban development project led to the expansion of the city, with new squares, streets and churches being built, as well as a number of noblemen's mansions.

This development has left its mark on the modern town, the district of San Paolo being an excellent example of Baroque architecture.

When the estates of the Savelli family were purchased by the Apostolic Chamber, Albano shared the same lot as the other cities of Latium thah were included in the Papal State and became a district administrative centre until the Independence of Italy.

Albano, a city whose origin goes so far back in time, was included in the itinerary of a great number of travellers on the Grand Tour: men of letters, painters, sculptors, diplomats and pilgrims were attracted by the luminous wooded landscape with its wealth of picturesque ancient ruins.

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