Discover Rocchetta Alta: Castle, Gates and Village History

Rocchetta Alta brings together the history of an abandoned village and traces of buildings and landscape from different periods. The relocation of the village, evidence of rural culture, and the architecture of the castle and gates give the place several historical layers. When planning your trip, you can consider these themes separately: the development of the settlement, older traces in the surrounding area, and the design of individual structures.

Village History and Settlement Pattern

Over the course of the 20th century, Rocchetta Alta was abandoned in favor of the lower-lying settlement now called Rocchetta Nuova. Rocchetta Alta is a rare surviving example of a village shaped by rural culture. Its layout includes narrow lanes, houses and workshops. The ruined houses open onto lanes and grassy steps leading up the mountain. Thus, the settlement is defined not only by individual buildings: its lanes, workshops and hillside ascent are also part of its inherited layout. The steps make the village’s mountain setting tangible in its design.

Traces in the Rocks and on the Hill

The history of the surrounding area goes further back than the village buildings. The rocks around Rocchetta Alta provided shelter for people in caves during the Middle Paleolithic. In 1980, remains of late medieval structures were discovered on the summit of Vaccareccia Hill, also known as Baccaricia. The year 1980 is the year of discovery, not the period when the late medieval structures were built.

Castello Battiloro and the Gates

Castello Battiloro rises on the limestone summit at the upper end of Rocchetta Alta. Its ground plan is roughly rectangular, measuring about 20 × 10 meters. By these approximate measurements, the structure is roughly twice as long as it is wide. The castle complex is partly damaged. It is a late Renaissance manor house near Porta di Sopra. A steep path leads up to the Castello. Its location, ground plan and approach provide different clues for understanding the castle’s place in the village layout.

Porta di Sotto is the entrance to the village and stands beside the Church of the Assumption of Mary. Medieval sculptural elements were reused beneath its arched passageway and incorporated into the masonry. The gate’s corbels also speak to an earlier building function: they once supported a projecting defensive structure. The reused sculptural elements and the corbels are distinct details of the same entrance—the former are set into the masonry of the arched passageway, while the latter once supported the projecting structure. Porta di Sotto and Porta di Sopra should be distinguished: Porta di Sotto is the village entrance beside the church; the Castello is near Porta di Sopra. The northwestern entrance belongs to the castle itself and is protected by cylindrical towers.

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