Rocchette di Fazio is a village in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

, central

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, administratively a

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

of the

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

Semproniano Semproniano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region of Tuscany, about south of Florence and about east of Grosseto. Semproniano borders the following municipalities: Castell'Azzara, Manciano, Roccalbegna ...

province of Grosseto The province of Grosseto ( it, links=no, provincia di Grosseto) is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Grosseto. As of 2013 the province had a total population of 225,098 people. Geography The Province of Gros ...

. At the time of the 2001 census its population amounted to 19.

Geography

Rocchette di Fazio is about 56 km from

Grosseto Grosseto () is a city and ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the Province of Grosseto. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Maremma, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the Ombrone river. It is the m ...

and 3 km from

, and it is situated on a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

cliff overlooking the valley of

Albegna The Albegna is a river in southern Tuscany, the sources of which are located in province of Grosseto on the southern side of Monte Buceto, the southwestern part of the volcanic cone of Mount Amiata, along with the northern side of Monte Aquilai ...

. The small village is included in the ''Bosco dei Rocconi'' Natural Reserve.Geopaesaggi della Toscana
University of Siena.

History

Rocchette di Fazio is named after Fazio Cacciaconti of

Trequanda Trequanda is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italy, Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about southeast of Siena. Trequanda borders the following municipalities: Asciano, Pienza, Rapolano T ...

, lord of ''Rocchette'' (lit. "small castle") after the fall of the House of Aldobrandeschi of

Sovana Sovana is a small town in southern Tuscany, Italy, a ''frazione'' of Sorano, a comune in the province of Grosseto. History Etruscan by origin, Sovana became a Roman ''municipium'', and, from the 5th century, an episcopal see. Conquered by Lomba ...

in the late 13th century.Rocchette di Fazio
Tourism in Maremma.Bruno Santi, ''Guida storico-artistica alla Maremma. Itinerari culturali nella provincia di Grosseto'', Siena, Nuova Immagine, 1995, pp. 242-243.

Main sights

SempronianoRocchetteDiFazioOspedaleSanTomme

Pieve In the Middle Ages, a pieve (, ; la, plebe, link=no; plural ''pievi'') was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended. The Italian word ''pieve'' is descended from Latin ''plebs'' which, after th ...

of ''Santa Cristina'' (13th century), main church of the village, it was property of the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

. It is now deconsecrated. * Church of ''Santa Maria'' (16th century), it inherited the parish seat from ''Santa Cristina'' in 1884. * ''Ospedaletto di San Giovanni'' (Hospital of Saint John), structure built in the 14th century to give hospitality to travelers and pilgrims, it was then the seat of the Knights Templar.Anna Giacomini, «''Un ospedale nella Maremma''» in ''Cronache Medievali'', I, n. 3, Edizioni Penne e Papiri, 2001. * Castle of Rocchette di Fazio, old complex built by the

Aldobrandeschi The Aldobrandeschi were an Italian noble family from southern Tuscany. Overview Of probable Lombard origin, they appear in history as counts in the 9th century. The first known count was Hildebrand II (857). Their possession extended to what i ...

in the late 12th century, it's composed by several buildings combined, such as the ''Rocca'' — originary structure of the castle — the ''Palazzo di Giustizia'' —

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

— and the ''Palazzo Pretorio'' — former

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

. * Walls of Rocchette di Fazio, old fortifications which surround the village since 13th century.

References

Bibliography

* Bruno Santi, ''Guida storico-artistica alla Maremma. Itinerari culturali nella provincia di Grosseto'', Siena, Nuova Immagine, 1995, pp. 242–243. * Aldo Mazzolai, ''Guida della Maremma. Percorsi tra arte e natura'', Florence, Le Lettere, 1997. * Giuseppe Guerrini, ''Torri e castelli della provincia di Grosseto'', Siena, Nuova Immagine, 1999. * Carlo Citter, ''Guida agli edifici sacri della Maremma'', Siena, Nuova Immagine, 2002.

External links

*
Rocchette di Fazio
*

Emanuele Repetti Emanuele Repetti (1776-1852) was an Italian historian and naturalist who wrote extensively on the history of Tuscany. He was born in Carrara.Italian Institute of Archaeology, University of Siena http://www.archeogr.unisi.it/repetti/paginerep/bior ...