Medieval documentation reports the area where the castles of Rocchette and Cugnano stood, with the name of "Piastraio" and probably refers to the territory delimited to the NW by the Milia stream, to the south by the Fosso Riotorto and to the east by the Poggio di Santa Croce. Some studies report around 90 mineral extraction points in this area, exploited during the medieval period, including sinkholes, mine entrances, fields and mining quarries.
The mining area of the Rocchette castle is represented by sinkholes that surrounded the site, which are still recognizable today among the vegetation together with slag dumps and trenches. Presumably the mineralizations present in the deposits were: Galena argentifera, Chalcopyrite, Blenda, Tetrahedrite and Pyrite, to obtain mainly from their fusion: silver, copper, iron and lead.
The remains of the mining castle are located on a 450 m hill, separated by a ditch from the southern slope of Poggio Trifonti.
The excavations carried out from 1992 to 2001 by the University of Siena brought to light traces of settlements and a mineral processing area dating back to the 10th century. In the summit area, the remains of a wall where the noble part of the castle was probably located can still be seen, while around there are traces of other buildings consisting of the ruins of semi-rock structures, which belonged to the most ancient configuration of the town.
The castle was surrounded by defensive walls around 1300 and numerous buildings were built, after Massa secured dominion over the castle itself and the mineral resources of the area.
rocchetteThe reconstruction is also supported by an ancient fourteenth-century seal preserved in Florence at the Bargello Museum, where the rock mass on which the 5 gates, the 2 towers and the walls that surrounded it are perched are recognisable.
The site was abandoned in the first half of the 15th century and now remains an evocative place not only for its history, but also for the superb panorama that opens up to the sea and the islands of the Archipelago.