The first historical records of Radda date to 1003 (mention was made in an edict issued by Emperor Otto III), but human settlement in the region goes back to Etruscan times. Pottery shards and remains of stone houses found in the area attest to an original 6th century B.C. settlement. By the 1st century AD, Romans had taken over the area, and they in turn succumbed to Barbarian invasions during the 5th century.