The Castle at Rocca San Vincenzo, a village erected between the tenth and the eleventh century on Counts della Gherardesca's initiative, is located amidst the mounts in the Campiglia territory, on the slopes of Monte Calvi (646 metres a.s.l.), hidden from sight by Monte Rombolo ridge to the north, by Maurienti to the west and by Poggio all'Aione to the south. On these heights, that look like real mountains, spots of vegetation alternate to outcrops of white and grey limestone and old mine dumps.
The production activity that characterized the economy of the castle consisted in silver-bearing lead and copper mining for the production of metals to be used in the mint of Pisa. But, of course, the exploitation of such an important resource was supplemented by agriculture, wood exploitation, animal rearing, a basic economy, therefore, as needed to cater for the inhabitants' subsistence.
The excavation of the surrounding graveyard made it possible to identify the remains of more than 600 inhumations; an anthropological survey conducted on the inhumated people's remains made it possible to obtain lots of information on the living conditions and the most common diseases of the time: the average height was 1.65 m for men and 1.55 m for women; people died at about 40 years of age on average. A track provided with some facilities leads the visitors along a journey in the social and economical organization, the diet, the building and metallurgical technique of a mediaeval community.
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Oct 3rd, 2000
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