The patron saint of Nettuno is Saint Roch, celebrated on 16 August. Between 1625 and 1626 the Papal States restored the town borough and rebuilt the bastion dedicated to him; in the early 20th century the town developed eastward with the rebuilding of the church of San Rocco, located in what is now Via Matteotti. In 1914 a serious fire destroyed the building, also damaging the throne of the statue of Our Lady of Grace: the people of Nettuno responded by inaugurating the new sanctuary, rebuilt by the Passionist Fathers, who remain its custodians today. Inside, on the main altar, a painting by Andrea Sacchi can be admired, depicting the Madonna di Loreto together with Saint Joseph, Saint Bartholomew, Saint Roch and Saint Francis.
In 1656 a plague epidemic decimated over a thousand inhabitants of Nettuno, leading to the establishment of the Monte Frumentario for distributing grain to the poorest. The town also holds Forte Sangallo, built at the Borgia family's behest and entrusted to Antonio da Sangallo the Elder to defend the Papal States from raiders and pirates, and the striking medieval borough, which likely stands near the ancient and still uncertain site of the Roman harbour.
