Roccatederighi Walled Town

The village is situated in the municipality of Roccastrada in the province of Grosseto. From Grosseto, the SP8 goes to Roccatederighi.

Roccatederighi rises on the top of Mount Sassoforte, at 538 meters above sea level, wedged in a outcropping of volcanic rock from which there are beautiful views of Upper Maremma. The site was probably already known as a castle in 952 by the name of “Rocca Norsina”, and became “Roccatederighi” in 1239 when the consorts of the Guaschi family, the overlords who were tied to and who dominated the city of Massa Marittima, were called “filii Tederigi”, vassals of the Counts Aldobrandeschi.

 

At the turn of the 13th century, Roccatederighi was controlled more or less directly by the Sienese Republic, in 1369 it was dominated by the Salimbeni and in 1405 it was administrated by Siena until its fall in 1554. In 1618 Cosimo II of the Medici became its liege lord, vesting Giovan Cristofano Malaspina di Mulazzo with the title of Marquis. At the same time, at Montemassi, the Malaspina sold their fiefdom to Giovan Domenico Cambiaso di Genova.

 

During the military campaign of 1553 the army of the Marquis of Maragliano completely destroyed Roccatederighi passing down to us through the centuries only a doorway and a couple of tower houses.

 

The medieval village of Roccatederighi remains however one of the most interesting villages of the Maremma, with its towers and rooftops, some carved out of rock, perfectly camouflaged among enormous boulders of riolite. Entrance to the old village is through a round-arched door, opened between rock and walls, from which one approaches a tangle of alleys, arches, and stairways.

 

Among the most interesting buildings here is the church of San Martino located on the southern summit of the hill (at the opposite side of the village from the keep where the oldest portion of the castle once existed and of which there is no longer any trace), the scarce remains of the keep near the Clock Tower, reconstructed in 1911, a various decorative and architectural details spread a little everywhere. The ancient walls are still partially visible around the houses that surrounded the perimeter of the village.

Ogni anno durate il primo weekend di Agosto va in scena il passato di Roccatederighi, con la manifestazione organizzata dalla Pro loco Medioevo nel Borgo. Per tre giorni l’affascinante borgo mostra vecchi mestieri e antiche passioni di un trascorso medievale ancora tutto da scoprire.