The term “fidelato” derives from “fidelitas” the Latin for loyalty. In the feudal times, this term stood for the duty of the vassals to assist their Prince both materially and by military assistance. The feudal system was an economic, social and political organization in a time when there was no State; a mutual loyalty was therefore necessary to create agreement and exchanges. The history of the treaty of mutual loyalty between Vitorchiano and Rome dates back to the beginning of the 13^th century, when the people of Vitorchiano rebelled against the near town of Viterbo and asked for the help of the Roman Senate; in 1201 Rome recognized Vitorchiano as one of its own feuds. During the years Vitorchiano was destroyed for several times by the town of Viterbo and its boundary walls suffered great damage: in order to get money enough to rebuild the walls, the Roman Senate pledged the feud to Giovanni degli Annibaldi. In order to pay off the debt and confirm the link with the Roman Senate, the inhabitants of Vitorchiano made a collection. Rome returned this loyalty by a tax exemption and continuous help. The most explicit display of loyalty was the foundation of the “Fedeli del Campidoglio”, a group of men in Vitorchiano assigned to the guard of the Senator; every year ten men from Vitorchiano were to be sent to the Campidoglio in Rome after being chosen by a regular drawing. This service was finally stopped with the annexation of the Papal State to the Kingdom of Italy. In 1926 the Roman council deliberated the symbolic revival of the “fidelato”.

The part of public representation of the vassals in the formal ceremonies of the Roman Senate was very important: in these occasions the “fedeli” had to wear the “Roman People Livery”, a stylish uniform, whose predominant colours were red and yellow, symbols of the city of Rome. The historical archives of Vitorchiano are kept in the Pawnshop, sole seat of the archival documentation, which was previously kept in three different premises. The most ancient proceedings, the parchments, the statutes, the notaries registers were kept in a little room in the Town Hall, seat of the archives from the 16^th century. The statutes are of great importance when reconstructing the community’s institutional framework, as they include the basic rules of the local government. In the historical archives of Vitorchiano you can find two wordings of a statute; the first one dates back to the second half of the 15^th century, while the second one dates back to 1613. They are divided into six books containing the rules for the election of a civic magistracy, the sentences given for the different crimes, taxes, building regulations, rural economy. The troubled political events of the Italian Kingdom and of the Italian Republic are also recorded in these archives.