The patron saint of Valtopina is Saint Bernardine, celebrated on 20 May. From the second half of the 15th century, probably with the aim of guaranteeing the valley dwellers economic autonomy, the fair of San Bernardino was established, held at the confluence of the river Topino with the Fosso dell'Anna, near which the church of San Pietro de Cerqua had also been built. Cerqua became the name of the village that arose astride the Via Flaminia, corresponding to today's Borgo di Valtopina: the place name, present in official cartography until the last century, is still used by its inhabitants.
Although a significant presence of pre-Roman settlements has been identified on the heights surrounding the main village, the history of the Topino valley can be said to have begun with the construction of the Via Flaminia in the 3rd century BC, of which interesting remains still survive; the important valley-floor communication hub favoured settlement in the surrounding hill areas, as attested by the remains of a Roman country villa. Until the 19th century most of the population lived in the old hillside villages and the castle of Poggio still served as the administrative seat; only with the construction of the Rome-Ancona railway and the progressive shift of economic activities to the valley floor was the municipal seat transferred in 1867 to the Villa della Cerqua, later renamed Valtopina.
