Roccamare

{{distinguish|Rocca al Mare}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}} {{Infobox frazione | name = Roccamare | native_name = | image_skyline = Pineta di Roccamare.JPG | image_caption = The pinewood of Roccamare | coordinates = {{coord|42|46|32|N|10|49|24|E|display=inline,title|type:city}} | region = {{flag|Tuscany}} | province = Grosseto (GR) | comune = Castiglione della Pescaia | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 6 | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = | population_footnotes = | population_total = 63 | population_as_of = 2011 | pop_density_footnotes = | gentilic = | saint = | day = | postal_code = 58043 | area_code = (+39) 0564 | website = | footnotes = }} '''Roccamare''' is a seaside residential village and gated community in the municipality of Castiglione della Pescaia, in the province of Grosseto, Tuscany, central Italy. Developed during the second half of the 20th century, it is known for its extensive pine forest, private villas, and examples of modern Italian architecture. At the time of the 2001 census its population was 107.<ref>{{in lang|it}} [http://dawinci.istat.it/MD/dawinciMD.jsp?a1=m0GG0c0I0&a2=mG0Y8048f8&n=1UH90007SN5&v=1UH07B07SN50000 Popolazione residente - Grosseto (dettaglio loc. abitate) - Censimento 2001] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826214450/http://dawinci.istat.it/MD/dawinciMD.jsp?a1=m0GG0c0I0&a2=mG0Y8048f8&n=1UH90007SN5&v=1UH07B07SN50000 |date=26 August 2018 }}, Istat</ref>

== Geography == Roccamare is located about 5 km north of Castiglione della Pescaia and approximately 24 km northwest of Grosseto, on the Tyrrhenian coast of Tuscany. The village lies within a large coastal pine forest stretching between Castiglione della Pescaia and Rocchette. The area is crossed by the Tonfone stream, a short watercourse that flows into the sea near the local beach.

The pine forest is dominated by maritime pines, alongside typical Mediterranean scrub vegetation. Historically, the area formed part of the marshlands surrounding the now-vanished Lake Prile and acquired its present appearance following extensive land reclamation works carried out between the 18th and 20th centuries.

== History == Roccamare is a planned residential settlement that emerged in the decades following the reclamation of the Maremma wetlands. The village was established in the early 1960s as a private seaside community on the initiative of count Federigo Ginori Conti, who conceived and financed the development. Conceived as a low-density residential enclave integrated into the existing pine forest, the project combined environmental preservation with modern architectural design.<ref name="catalani">Barbara Catalani, Marco Del Francia, Giovanni Tombari, ''Itinerari di architettura contemporanea. Grosseto e provincia'', Pisa, ETS, 2011, p. 37.</ref><ref name="elle">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.elledecor.com/it/architettura/a21061363/roccamare-architettura-modernista/ |title=Roccamare, l'architettura modernista nascosta nella pineta della Maremma |first=Francesco |last=Marchesi |magazine=Elle Decor |date=29 September 2017 |access-date=1 June 2026}}</ref>

The original development consisted of approximately two hundred villas connected by a network of private roads and pedestrian paths. Most of the residences were designed by architects Ugo Miglietta and Antonio Canali. Additional contributions were made by architects such as Ernesto Nathan Rogers, Roberto Monsani, Luigi and Giancarlo Bicocchi, and Lisindo Baldassini.<ref name="catalani"/><ref name="elle"/>

== Landmarks == While Roccamare contains no major historic monuments, it is distinguished by a number of architecturally notable villas dating from the second half of the 20th century.<ref name="elle"/> Among the most prominent is Villa Bartolini, designed by Ernesto Nathan Rogers between 1957 and 1958 as a modern reinterpretation of traditional Maremman rural architecture. The villa has been recognized by the Italian cultural heritage authorities for its architectural significance.<ref>{{in lang|it}} [http://www.architetturatoscana.it/at2011/scheda.php?scheda=GR01 ''Villa Bartolini''] on the website ''[http://www.architetturatoscana.it/at2011/ricerca.php L'architettura in Toscana dal 1945 ad oggi. Selezione delle opere di rilevante interesse storico-artistico]''</ref><ref>A. Aleardi, C. Marcetti, ''L'architettura in Toscana dal 1945 a oggi'', Alinea Editrice, Firenze, 2011, pp. 106-107.</ref>

Other notable buildings include Villa Bertini and Villa Verusio (1962), designed by Roberto Monsani, Luigi and Giancarlo Bicocchi, and Lisindo Baldassini, which are characterized by extensive glazing and a close relationship between interior spaces and the surrounding forest.<ref>Catalani, Del Francia, Tombari (2011). pp. 33–35.</ref> Villa Fraschetti (1965) and Casa dei Pini (1972), by the same designers, further developed these architectural themes through innovative use of modular structures and open-plan designs.<ref>Catalani, Del Francia, Tombari (2011). p. 43.</ref><ref>''House in Castiglione della Pescaia'', in "''Global Interior''", Tokyo, 1972, pp. 108-113.</ref> The later Villa Settepassi, completed in 1986 from a design by Pier Niccolò Berardi, incorporates elements of Mediterranean vernacular architecture.<ref>C. Ghelli, ''Pier Niccolò Berardi'', in E. Insabato, C. Ghelli, ''Guida agli archivi di architetti e ingegneri del Novecento in Toscana'', Firenze, Edifir, 2007, pp. 60-64.</ref><ref>{{in lang|it}} [http://www.architetturatoscana.it/at2011/scheda.php?scheda=GR16 ''Villa Settepassi''] on the website ''[http://www.architetturatoscana.it/at2011/ricerca.php L'architettura in Toscana dal 1945 ad oggi. Selezione delle opere di rilevante interesse storico-artistico]''</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://censimentoarchitetturecontemporanee.cultura.gov.it/scheda-opera?id=244 |title=Scheda opera |work=Censimento delle architetture italiane dal 1945 ad oggi |publisher=Ministero della cultura |access-date=1 June 2026}}</ref>

A small chapel serving the residential community was built in 1970 to a design by Ugo Miglietta and remains in use during the summer season.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Guerrini |editor-first=Giuseppe |title=La Diocesi di Grosseto. Parrocchie, chiese e altri luoghi di culto, dalle origini ai nostri giorni |publisher=Il mio amico |location=Roccastrada |year=1996 |page=76}}</ref>

== Tourism == Since the second half of the 20th century, Roccamare has become known as an exclusive summer destination. Its secluded setting within a private pine forest and its gated layout have contributed to its reputation as a discreet retreat for public figures and members of the Italian and international cultural, political, and artistic elite.<ref name="Sapori">{{cite news|url=http://firenze.repubblica.it/dettaglio/castiglione-la-formula-natura-e-sapori-familiari/1485846|title=Castiglione, la formula? Natura e sapori familiari|publisher=La Repubblica Firenze.it|date=10 July 2008|access-date=22 July 2017|language=it|archive-date=27 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127093803/http://firenze.repubblica.it/dettaglio/castiglione-la-formula-natura-e-sapori-familiari/1485846|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Among its most notable frequent visitors was the writer Italo Calvino, who spent his summers in Roccamare from the 1970s until 1985; the surrounding landscape also influenced parts of his novel ''Mr. Palomar''.<ref>{{in lang|it}} ''[http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1985/09/07/il-bisturi-puo-salvare-italo-calvino.html Il bisturi può salvare Italo Calvino]'', La Repubblica, 7 September 1985.</ref><ref name="Calvino">{{in lang|it}} ''[http://firenze.repubblica.it/cronaca/2010/09/15/news/citati_in_maremma_trov_un_altra_patria-7088662/ Pietro Citati, "Io e Italo Calvino". "In Maremma trovò un'altra patria"]'', La Repubblica, 15 September 2010.</ref> Other literary figures linked to the area include Pietro Citati, who introduced Calvino to Roccamare<ref name="Calvino"/> and later died there in 2022,<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 July 2022 |title=Pietro Citati è morto a Roccamare, nella sua amata Maremma |url=https://firenze.repubblica.it/cronaca/2022/07/28/news/firenze_pietro_citati_morte_legame_origini-359507019/ |work=la Repubblica |language=it}}</ref> as well as Carlo Fruttero, whose thriller novel ''An Enigma by the Sea'' is set in the gated community.<ref>{{in lang|it}} ''[http://www.corriere.it/cultura/eventi/2012/fruttero/notizie/ultimo-saluto_09e14dbe-4031-11e1-a5d2-75a8a88b1277.shtml L'omaggio dei lettori su Twitter. Sarà sepolto accanto a Calvino]'', Il Corriere della Sera, 16 January 2012.</ref>

Roccamare has additionally hosted numerous prominent figures from the arts, business, and politics, including Sophia Loren,<ref name="Sapori"/> Roger Moore,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ilgiunco.net/2017/05/23/addio-a-roger-moore-lo-007-che-amava-passare-le-estati-a-castiglione-della-pescaia/|title=Addio a Roger Moore, lo 007 che amava passare le estati a Castiglione della Pescaia|date=23 May 2017|publisher=Il Giunco.net|access-date=22 July 2017|language=it}}</ref> Carlo Ponti,<ref name="Sapori"/> Georg Solti,<ref name="Sapori"/> Romano Prodi,<ref>{{in lang|it}} ''[http://ricerca.gelocal.it/iltirreno/archivio/iltirreno/2007/08/04/LF3PO_LF306 E oggi arriva Romano Prodi con Flavia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810111542/http://ricerca.gelocal.it/iltirreno/archivio/iltirreno/2007/08/04/LF3PO_LF306 |date=10 August 2014 }}'', Il Tirreno, 4 September 2007.</ref> Giovanni Veronesi<ref>{{in lang|it}} ''[http://iltirreno.gelocal.it/grosseto/cronaca/2010/10/21/news/l-amore-al-tempo-dei-capelli-bianchi-1.2127381 L'amore al tempo dei capelli bianchi. Giovanni Veronesi e l'amore per Roccamare: «Ho voluto Bob nel cast per avere la cittadinanza onoraria a Castiglione della Pescaia»]'', Il Tirreno, 21 October 2010.</ref> and Siegmund George Warburg.<ref>{{cite book|title=High Financier: The Lives and Time of Siegmund Warburg|first=Niall|last=Ferguson|publisher=Penguin Press|date=2010}}</ref><ref>{{in lang|fr}} Jacques Attali, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=4gDn9ZXahr4C&dq=Siegmund+G.+Warburg+Roccamare&pg=PT170 Un homme d'influence: Sir Siegmund G. Warburg (1902-1982)]''.</ref>

== References == {{reflist}}

== Bibliography == * Marco Del Francia, ''Walter Di Salvo. Poetiche wrightiane in Maremma'', in "''Architetture Grosseto''", n. 4–5, Pisa, ETS, 2008, pp. 39–40.

Category:Frazioni of Castiglione della Pescaia