San Rocco A Pilli
San Rocco a Pilli: a small Tuscan hamlet with a great history
San Rocco a Pilli is a hamlet in the municipality of Sovicille, located in the province of Siena, in Tuscany. Although the hamlet is small, with its 2579 inhabitants it is the most populous in the municipality.
History
The territory of San Rocco a Pilli has been inhabited since ancient times, as evidenced by findings from the Etruscan and Roman periods. The village began to populate in the High Middle Ages, when many hamlets were built such as Brucciano, Santa Maria a Pilli, San Salvatore a Pilli and San Lorenzo a Pilli. In the 14th century, the Castle was built on site, a fortress destroyed in 1554 by the imperial army of Charles V.
The village began to develop around the church, and the oratory of the Confraternity of San Rocco, established in 1561 and then suppressed in 1785 by Grand Duke Leopold I of Lorraine. With the establishment of the Villa of Cavaglioni, and the restoration of the Pieve di San Bartolomeo in the first half of the 19th century, on the initiative of the Pannocchieschi d'Elci family, the village known as ''Canonica a Pilli'' progressively increased its extension and inhabitants.
Monuments and places of interest
Religious architecture
The Pieve di San Bartolomeo, parish church of the hamlet, is an ancient medieval building that was renovated in the neoclassical style from 1820-1824 by Agostino Fantastici. Instead, the Church of San Salvatore, located in the locality of San Salvatore a Pilli, dates back to the medieval period and is a single-nave church with decorated interiors in Baroque style.
Civil architecture
The Villa Cavaglioni, originally a fortress from the 14th century, is located along the Via Grossetana, which crosses the village. This villa-farm belonged to the Pannocchieschi d'Elci family since the 18th century, when the reclamation of the Padule di Stigliano was started and constituted a large landed property. Currently, the property is owned by the Budini Gattai-Galeotti Ottieri della Ciaja-Galli family.
Infrastructure and transport
The hamlet is served by its own junction (exit "San Rocco a Pilli") along the SS 223 of Paganico that connects the cities of Grosseto and Siena, which in turn is part of the wide European route E78.
San Rocco a Pilli is a small hamlet with great historical and artistic charm. The presence of historical monuments, such as the Pieve di San Bartolomeo and Villa Cavaglioni in particular, make it an ideal destination to visit Tuscany and enjoy the beauty of the territory.
