Castle of Rocchetta

On a crag protected on three sides by sheer drops, the Castle of Rocchetta was built between the 8th and 9th centuries to defend the local farmers, including those of Giano and the Assano valley, against raids by the Saracens. Paradoxically, once captured, it was used by the invaders themselves as an outpost and as a prison for those waiting to be sold as slaves.It later became a fief of the bishops of Calvi, who turned it into a kind of hermitage and place of prayer. The structure followed the model of nearby castles of the time: a circuit of walls, a tower by the entrance and a storehouse. Today stretches of the walls and the entrance portal remain: we like reaching them for the charm of the place, and we recommend comfortable shoes.