The name originates from its role as vacation resort for the ancient Romangens Genucia. In the fifth century, during the reign of PopeSixtus III, the town of Genazzano contributed a large portion of its revenue for the Roman basilica ofSanta Maria Maggiore. In the 11th century AD it was a fief of theColonna family who, from their baronial Palace (castle), controlled the road fromNaples toRome. In the late fifteenth century, it became fief of theBorgia Family.
The church of theMadonna del buon consiglio, built in appreciation for the town's contribution to Santa Maria Maggiore, and entrusted in 1356 to theAugustinian Order, holds the original fresco ofOur Lady of Good Counsel (Latin:Mater boni consilii) a title given to theBlessed Virgin Mary, after the miraculous fresco. Measuring 40 by 45 centimetres (16 by 18 in), the image is executed on a thin layer of porcelain no thicker than an egg shell.[3] Over the centuries, devotions to Our Lady of the Good Counsel grew among saints and Popes. More than any other pope,Leo XIII was deeply attached to this devotion.[4] The smallScapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel (the White Scapular) was presented by theHermits of St. Augustine toPope Leo XIII, who, in December 1893, approved it and endowed it with indulgences. On 22 April 1903, that same Pope included the invocation "Mater boni consilii" in theLitany of Loreto. On 10 May 2025Pope Leo XIV chose to visit the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, for his first trip outside the Vatican.[5]
At the southern end of the village, there is aNymphaeum built at the dawn of the 16th century and attributed toDonato Bramante.
