Mandela is located in the heart of the Aniene Valley. Mandela, originally known as Cantalupo Bardella in the Middle Ages, changed its name after 1870. This village was a fiefdom granted to the Orsini by Pope Celestine III. Over the centuries, it passed from the hands of the Orsini to the Nunez and then to the Marquises Del Gallo of Roccagiovine. In the 19th century, Giulia Bonaparte created a literary salon frequented by artists and men of culture in Mandela. The village is famous for its local cuisine, with typical products such as polenta with sausages and ribs, fettuccine, nociata, anise donuts and wine biscuits.