Roveta
Vecchia
History
Casal Roveta is the name of an old medieval settlement which disappeared a long time ago, located in the Val D’Orcia on the slopes of Monte Amiata, close to Monte Aquilaia in the Comune of Arcidosso.
Geography
The town of Roveta was located along the right bank of the river Zancona, on the western slopes of Monte Aquilaia, which separates the river Trasubbie, tributary of the river Ombrone from the river Zancona and Ente which flow into the river Orcia. It was originally located in the proximity of the village called Salaiola and two kilometres away from Arcidosso.
History
It is said that Casal Roveta was founded by the inhabitants of the Maremma who, in order to avoid the barbaric invasions, reached and settled in the proximity of the Monte Amiata. The poet Gian Domenico Peri confirmed this by telling stories about towns and villages like Roveta, Montoro e Talassa that were founded by the inhabitants of Roselle, Ansedonia e Saturnia after the destruction of their cities.The town of Roveta, approximately one kilometre from Sant’Andrea d’Arcidosso, was already mentioned at the beginning of the IX century.
Throughout the centuries, the inhabitants of Roveta joined the inhabitants of Arcidosso to find protection within the walls, while another settlement was growing nearby, that of Salaiola. The settlement of Casal Roveta disappeared at the beginning of the 19th century with the loss of its church in 1787 and the expansion of Salaiola with its own church in 1863.
Nowadays the only thing that still remains of Casal Roveta is the Roveta Vecchia farm.
(source: Wikipedia)