A 7th century pre-Roman necropolis has been found in the area. Later, when it was called Roman patricians chose it for their villas. After a long decline, the center started to flourish again in the late 13th century, when it became independent from the Duchy of Sorrento and King Charles II of Naples repeatedly sojourned in the town, where he also built a castle (1301). The cathedral, the only example of a Gothic Cathedral in the Sorrentine Peninsula, also dates to this period.