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Inhabitants in 1991: 9.377
 The
municipal territory of Roccastrada extends for 284,37 square kilometres
in a hilly zone of medium mountains, which descend to the south towards
the Grosseto plain. In the Medieval it was an Aldobrandeschi dominion,
then capital of a Podesta Office, originally comprising in its borders
the district of Montepescali, aggregated from 1905 to the municipality
of Grosseto.
In a privilege by Pope Innocenzo II of April 1140, Roccastrada was
cited as an important settlement. Subjected from the X century to
the Aldobrandeschi dominion, it was assigned in 1274, at the moment of
the division of the Aldobrandesca county, to Count Ildebrandino of the
Santa Fiora branch, who a few years later in 1283, gave hospitality inside
the walls of Roaccastrada to the exiling Siena Ghiblellini. In 1301 the
ancient family of Counts renounced their rights on the castle ceding it
to the Siena republic, who incorporated Roccastrada in their county.
After a brief attempt of recuperation by the Aldobrandeschi in 1315,
which cost the castle the destruction of its walls, Roccastrada remained
under the Lords of Siena and successively to those of Montalcino and,
from 1559, to the Mediceo Grand Duchy. Among the capital’s
districts with particular historic interest, above all in the Medieval
era, are Montemassi and Sassoforte, the two castles immortalised by the
celebrated murals of Simone Martini portraying Guidoriccio da Fogliano
(who besieged both these locations in 1328); and Roccatederighi, which
takes its name from Tederigo, vassal to the Aldobrandeschi. On 24 July
1921 Roccastrada was the theatre of a bloodthirsty raid by the
Fascist Squad, who left ten victims. During the Liberation struggle in
this zone there developed and intense partisan activity which for
five days, from 19 to 24 June 1944, held the German troops occupied until
the arrival of the Allies.
Places to visit:
S. Niccolò, from the XIII
century it underwent several remodellings. The façade is from
1954. In the interior there is a beautiful baptismal font form the
XVI century. |
Historical info reproduced upon authorization of Regione Toscana - Dipartimento della Presidenza E Affari Legislativi e Giuridici
Translated by Ann Mountford |
