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Amiata, Internal Hills and Metalliferous Hills Maremma Grossetana Province of Grosseto Villages

Roccalbegna: a village dominated by two fortresses

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Roccalbegna is a picturesque village located at the confluence of two rivers, the Marlancione and the Albegna, the town is dominated by high overhanging cliffs. Roccalbegna is located at an altitude of 522 metres.

The buildings of Roccalbegna are almost all in stone. Among the monuments of interest is the Romanesque parish church of Saints Peter and Paul from the 13th century, inside which is a polyptych from 1340 by the school of Ambrogio Lorenzetti, depicting a Madonna and Child. Near the church is the Oratorio del Crocifisso from 1388 with a small art museum attached.

THE ALDOBRANDESCA FORTRESS AND THE SENESE CASSERO

Roccalbegna was founded in medieval times, when a castle was built which from its strategic position dominated the Albegna valley. The remains of the Rocca Aldobrandesca (Rocca di Sasso) and of the Cassero Senese overlook the village from two high cliffs. The oldest fortification is that of the Rocca Aldobrandesca located high on the so-called Sasso and probably built in the early 13th century by the Aldobrandeschi counts.

Roccalbegna, Grosseto. Author and Copyright Marco Ramerini

The Cassero Senese is located on the lowest cliff overlooking Roccalbegna. Also built by the Aldobrandeschi, it was modernized by the Sienese who used it during their dominion, abandoning the Rocca Aldobrandesca instead. These structures were connected by the Sienese with walls of which some sections with two towers remain today. The walls were built between the 13th and 15th centuries of these fortifications today a section of the walls remains with the Porta di Maremma, while the other gate, the Porta di Montagna, was demolished on an unspecified date.

In the hamlet of Santa Caterina located 3 km from Roccalbegna is the Museo della Focarazza, an ethnographic museum that documents the folklore, work and traditions of the area. Nearby, the small medieval village of Cana is worth a visit, with the remains of a medieval fortress and a Medici cistern. A few kilometers from Roccalbegna is also the Castle of Triana.

Questo articolo è disponibile anche in: Italiano