The attribution was first suggested by Janos Scholz. The drawing is comparable in handling, composition and dimensions to a view of Rieti sold at Christie's, London, 1 July 1986, lot 15, illustrated.
The inscription 'de rocete' presumably refers to the village of Rocchette in the Sabine hills, near the Tiber valley, east of Magliano. Van Wittel worked from 1676 to 1678 on a project to help make the Tiber navigable. The present drawing could therefore date from these years.