Point of interest

In Fornelli, today known as San Rocco, in the shade of centuries-old trees stands the church of the same name, a small masterpiece of religious architecture in the Sonese area. Located on the road from San Giorgio to Rosolotti, it welcomes us with its now famous erratic boulder, which was rolled in here during the last ice age, and its hackberry tree, a national plant monument in the area, which is between 150 and 200 years old. This centuries-old plant deserves a stop under its large foliage. The church was built as the patronal oratory of the noble Cavazzocca Mazzanti family, subject to the parish of Palazzolo.

It is said that in 1511 it was built as a sign of gratitude for having escaped the plague by the local inhabitants who used morainic pebbles recovered from the clearing of fields. In 1556 it was equipped with a baptismal font that allowed the locals to avoid the long journey to the Pieve di Santa di Giustina. It was used until 1797, the year of the erection of the parish church of San Giorgio, to which it now belongs. A chaplain who lived here was maintained by the Cavazzocca family. The interior is simple but enriched with two Baroque altars. On the walls, there are traces of the old 16th-century frescoes and more recent apsidal decorations.