The Sforzesca fish farm was founded in the Middle Ages in order to provide food for consumption during the liturgical periods of fasting and abstinence. The pool is filled by the spring waters of the River Fiora, which flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea in the town of Montalto di Castro, in Lazio. On a visit to Count Guido Sforza in 1464, Pope Pius II described the large tank and admired the very large trout that are still farmed there. Since at least the 16th century, the counts of Santa Fiora had a gardener dedicated to the maintenance of the fish farm. The park, the pool and the monumental façade were built in the mid-19th century, probably commissioned by Countess Carolina Shirley Sforza Cesarini, who also oversaw the restoration Palazzo Sforza park in Genzano.
