Roffia is a village in

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

, central

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, administratively a

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

of the

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...

San Miniato San Miniato is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Pisa, in the region of Tuscany, Italy. San Miniato sits at an historically strategic location atop three small hills where it dominates the lower Arno valley, between the valleys of Ego ...

province of Pisa The province of Pisa ( it, provincia di Pisa) is a province in the Tuscany region of central Italy. Its capital is the city of Pisa. With an area of and a total population of 421,642 (), it is the second most populous and fifth largest province ...

. It is located along the southern banks of the

Arno The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a so ...

river, about 4 km from the municipal center of

and about 50 km from

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the ...

. Near the hamlet there is a lake (''Roffia Lake'') which was formed following the various floods of the Arno in the 14th and 15th century. In the 1980s, a recovery plan began for the transformation of the lake area into a specialized river park for canoeing competitions and for international rowing. At the time of the 2001 census its population was 232.

History

Formerly known as Ria, the village of Roffia is mentioned for the first time in a document from August 2, 995 and is mentioned again in the papal bull of

Pope Celestine III Pope Celestine III ( la, Caelestinus III; c. 1106 – 8 January 1198), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 March or 10 April 1191 to his death in 1198. He had a tense relationship with several monarchs, ...

of 24 April 1194 due to the presence of the church of San Michele in Roda, as a branch of the parish church of San Genesio. Over the centuries, the village took the name of one of the most important and influential families of San Miniato, perhaps descended from a rich Roctia woman, attested in the tenth century. The proximity to the Arno river and the lake has always made the country vulnerable to floods: in the winter between 2013 and 2014 it was affected by such conditions that raised the lake level almost exceeded the banks.

Monuments

The church of San Michele (''

Saint Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

's church'') is an ancient parish church (attested in 1194 by

) as dependent on the parish church of San Genesio. The church is home to a parish that extends over a territory of 515 inhabitants.

References

Frazioni of the Province of Pisa {{Pisa-geo-stub