It is crossed by the Neto river from which it takes its current name; until 1863 it was known as Rocca Ferdinandea in honour of king Ferdinand I of Two Sicilies.
The Neto rises in the central Sila Mountains in the province of Cosenza. Its source is at Timpone Sorbella at an elevation of 1,850 meters, near Botte Donato, the highest peak in the Sila Mountains.