The Park of San Silvestro is located in Campiglia Marittima and is part of the parks of Val Cornia, protected natural areas with historical artifacts of considerable importance.
This park includes museums, mining tunnels, historical, geological and naturalistic paths and the medieval village of the fortress.

The fortress is the part of the village where the miners lived from the tenth to the fourteenth century.
The Castle was founded by the Counts of Gherardesca to exploit the rich metal deposits found in this area.
Later it passed to the Della Rocca family, which enlarged the city walls, the square tower and two water tanks were added, the church and the houses of the village were enlarged.
The village was then abandoned due to the fall of the Della Rocca family and for economic reasons related to the mines.

The fortress of San Silvestro was known in the Middle Ages for the production of oil as evidenced by the millstone found in the oil mill near the church, and it is from this church, the Church of San Silvestro, which takes the fortress its name.
Today it is still possible to see the walls, the miners‘ houses, the church, the water tanks and the apartments of the lords.

Due to the abandonment, the fortress of San Silvestro has not undergone changes during the years like many other medieval villages nearby. This is why it is such a fascinating place that it drags whoever visits it in another era.

Photo: LepoRello, Campiglia Marittima Rocca San Silvestro, CC BY-SA 3.0