Discover Rosia: Pieve, Hiking Trail and Local History

Romanesque Pieve in the Centre of Rosia

In the centre of Rosia stands the Romanesque Pieve di San Giovanni Battista. The marked Sentiero 114 begins at this church and is the hiking trail from Rosia to Tonni. It initially runs along Via della Parrocchia and Via di Mezzo. The village centre remains the starting point; the two street names describe the first section before the route continues towards Tonni.

Architecture and Sacred Art

The Pieve features sacred art and a structurally articulated bell tower. A painting by Guidoccio Cozzarelli is located on the right side altar. It depicts the enthroned Madonna and Child between Saint Sebastian and Saint Anthony the Great. The bell tower is also articulated: several levels feature single-, double-, triple- and quadruple-part openings. The painting and the tower are located in different areas of the same building; the right side altar belongs to the church interior, while the openings form part of the tower’s exterior design.

The Ponte della Pia Between History and Tradition

Its present-day appearance probably dates back to work carried out around the 13th century. At that time, the bridge was an important crossing on the ancient Via Massetana between Siena and Massa Marittima. The Ponte della Pia can be crossed even though it has no railing; caution is required. According to tradition, its name is associated with Pia de’ Tolomei, a Sienese noblewoman mentioned by Dante Alighieri in the fifth canto of Purgatorio. From the bridge, a forest path follows not the ancient Via Massetana, but the remains of an old road called “Manliana” and leads to the Eremo di Santa Lucia. For route planning, the roads in the village centre and the forest section at the Ponte della Pia therefore differ considerably.

Water, Rock and an Explanatory Nature Trail

Below the Ponte della Pia, beside a small waterfall, lies the Geosite of the Torrente Rosia and its fracture system. A seven-metre-high waterfall forms within this fracture system. An educational trail illustrates how fractures in the rock body can influence the course of a stream. At the Geosite, the waterfall and educational trail are spatially connected with the Torrente Rosia and its fracture system. The visible landform and the explanation of the stream’s course therefore belong to one shared section.

Archaeology at the Area Archeologica Malignano

The Area Archeologica Malignano lies at the end of a narrow gorge carved by the Torrente Rosia between the hills of the Montagnola. There, the landscape opens out onto the plain crossed by the Merse River. Eighteen chamber and shaft tombs belonging to a necropolis that has not yet been fully excavated have been uncovered in the area. The tombs are carved into limestone. The necropolis thus lies at a transition between the narrow gorge and the open plain crossed by the Merse.

Further Places for Your Planning

In addition to Rosia, you can also discover Carpineto, Stigliano when planning your trip.

To the overarching travel overview: Sovicille.