MANY SCHOLARS’ OPINIONS DIFFER ABOUT ALBA ORIGIN, IF IT’S MARSA OR AEQUA, BUT LIVIO PUT IT INTO THE AEQUIS’ TERRITORY. THIS PROUD AND MILITARY STRONG PEOPLE BUILT ON THE HILL AN “OPPIDUM”, DOMINATING ALL THE SURROUNDING VALLEYS. BECAUSE OF ITS LOCATION ROMANS TRIED TO CONQUER IT FOR THEIR EXPANSION IN THE CENTRAL ITALY. AFTER MANY BATTLES THE AEQUI WERE DEFEATED AND MASSACRED. SO, IN 303 B.C. ALBA FUCENS, UNDER THE LUCIO GENUCIO AND SERVIO CORNELIO’S CONSULATE , BECAME ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT LATIN COLONIES. THE PRIMARY IMPORTANCE ROLE OF ALBA IN MILITARI STRATEGIES IN CENTRAL ITALY IS GIVEN BY THE PRESENCE OF 6000 SETTLERS SENT BY ROME, AS TITO LIVIO (IX, 43,25) SAYS: “SORAM ATQUE ALBAM COLONIAE DEDUCTAE. ALBAM IN EQUOS SEX MILIA COLONORUM SCRIPTA”. THE SETTLERS PRESENCE AND THE ROME ESTEEM TOWARDS THIS IMPOSING CITY WILL MAKE, BETWEEN THEM, A VRY STRONG BOND, THAT WILL LEAD ALBA TO DEMONSTRATE AN ABSOLUTE LOYALTY TO ROME. DURING THE FIRST YEARS OF THE III RD CENTURY B.C. A DREADFUL COALITION (ETRUSCANS, UMBRIANS, SAMNITES AND GALLICS) AIMED AT ROME. THE INHABITANTS OF ALBA AND THE NEIGHBOURING POPULATIONS JOINED FORCES WITH ROME, SO THERE WAS THE VICTORY OF SENTIUM (295 B.C.). DURING THE PUNIC WARS, HANNIBAL, WITH HIS ARMIES, PENETRATED INTO THE HEART OF CENTRAL ITALY AND LED A MARCH TOWARDS ROME, BEING FAR ALL CONSULAR ARMIES. SO ROME ASKED FOR HELP TO THE NEAR COLONIES AND ALBA, GIVING SIGNS OF ITS LOYALTY, SENT 2000 MEN TO CONTRAST THE HANNIBAL’S ADVANCE, MARKING HIS WITHDRAWAL TOWARDS SOUTH(211 B.C.). AT THE END OF THE SECOND PUNIC WAR, SIFACE, NUMIDIANS’ KING, WAS TAKEN AND CARRIED TO THE PRISON OF ALBA(203 B.C.). SAME DESTINY WAS TO PERSEUS OF MACEDONY (168 B.C.) AND TO BITUITO, KING OF AVERNUS (168 B.C.).HISTORY TELLS AS ALBA WAS USED LIKE A PLACE OF THE DETHRONED KINGS’ DETENTION. DURING THE SOCIAL WARS ALBA IS ALWAYS LOYAL TO ROME, HOLDING OUT AGAINST THE REBELLIOUS MEMBERS ASSAULTS. AT THE END OF THE WAR, WITH THE APPLICATION OF THE LEX IULIA MUNICIPALIS DE CIVITATE DANDA, THE CITY, AS ALL ITALY, OBTAINED THE MUNICIPAL REGULATIONS AND THE ROMAN CITIZENSHIP. IN THE BATTLES BETWEEN MARIUS AND SILLA (88 - 82 B.C.) ALBA TOOK SIDES WITH MARIUS, WHILE IN THE CIVIL WAR BETWEEN POMPEUS AND CAESAR (49 - 45 B.C.) THE POMPEUS’ ARMIES, STAYING AT ALBA, DELIBERATELY PASSED TO CAESAR ‘S SIDE. DURING THE IMPERIAL TIME ALBA LIVES A GREAT ECONOMICAL PROSPERITY PERIOD. IN THESE YEARS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE MONUMENTS ARE EMBELLISHED AND MODERNIZED, WHILE NEW BUILDINGS ARE BUILT ( VISIT THE MONUMENTS). ALL THIS WELFARE WAS DUE TO THE ECONOMIC GROWING THAT LED TO THE LAKE FUCINO DRAINING,. THE COLONY CRISIS AND DECLINE START IN THE IIIRD CENTURY A.D. AND GET WORSE IN THE IVTH CENTURY OWING TO SOME SEISMICAL EVENTS AND TO FREQUENT BARBARIAN INVASIONS, CAUSING THE PROGRESSIVE DESERTION OF THE CITY. IN THE IXTH CEN., BECAUSE OF THE FEUDAL BATTLEMENTS CASE, THE BUILT-UP AREA IS ON THE ACROPOLIS WHERE A MEDIEVAL VILLAGE IS SETTING UP ROUND THE CASTLE.