Forte delle Rocchette, Medieval fort in Castiglione della Pescaia, Italy.
Forte delle Rocchette is a coastal fortification on the promontory of the same name between Castiglione della Pescaia and Punta Ala. Its polygonal plan is enclosed by curtain walls, with a square-section tower in the middle of the northern wing, the surviving medieval core, now lacking its original top. The other buildings lean against the tower, keep crenellations in places and retain a scarp base on the outer sides. Entry is through a round-arched gate.
A papal bull of 1188 records the coastal fortification then called Rocca de Campo Albo, guarding a harbour near the lost pieve of Rocca. By 1289 it was named Rocchetta de Capalbi. Cosimo I de' Medici had the tower enlarged into a fortification, works completed in 1568. After annexation to the Kingdom of Italy it was decommissioned and became a lighthouse.
The chapel of the Madonna del Carmine alle Rocchette was built next to the fort in the second half of the 18th century, replacing the lost medieval pieve of Rocca. It stands outside the fortification rather than inside its walls, and its name ties the religious site to the Rocchette promontory.
The fort stands on the Rocchette promontory between Castiglione della Pescaia and Punta Ala, in the province of Grosseto. Entry is through a round-arched doorway in the perimeter walls; the surviving medieval square tower rises in the middle of the northern wing. The site is a private property, so the interior is not open to visitors.
After Italian unification, the military installation was converted into a lighthouse and served maritime navigation until roughly the mid-1900s. This transformation from defensive post to navigational aid marks a surprising shift in the structure's purpose.
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