Continuing in the direction of San Vincenzo a Torri, precisely in Roncigliano, we head for the extensive valley stretching between San Martino alla Palma and the beautiful Villa Torrigiani. Following the path which starts at the Hotel Sorgente Roveta and heads for the wood, we have the occasion to see the remains of the Antico Stabilimento dell’Acqua Roveta or ancient establishment of the Roveta water. Perhaps those over a certain age may remember this brand of mineral water with innumerable and most effective therapeutic properties, which was very successful in the second half of the th century. The source, documented as far back as the th century, was mostly used by local farmers who came here to quench their thirst, till when, owing to a sudden water dispersion, it fell into a state of neglect for almost two centuries. It was Mr. Enrico Scotti, a courageous and enthusiastic local entrepreneur, who, in the early th century, devised and put into practice a complex water canalization system, opened a bottling factory and began to sell the Roveta water both locally and in Florence. Tradition has it that it was Enrico himself who daily drove a cart to the markets in the area. The great success of the brand however began immediately after the Second World War, when Enrico’s son, Gino, or “sor Gino” as many still love to remember him, took over. He had the great merit of foreseeing that its product could benefit from the rise in consumption which took place in the boom years. Towards the end of the 6 ’s the Roveta was already a tru-
ly successful industry that employed about one hundred workers, producing sodas as well as bottling water. Some of you will certainly remember the “aranciata Roveta” or Roveta orangeade, which became famous for its small round bottle in the shape of an orange, but also the “chinotto” soda, the “cedrata” soda , or citron juice, and the “President Cola” the all-Italian rival of the, by then, widespread Coca Cola. Unfortunately the Roveta water did not outlive Gino Scotti and the factory shut down towards the end of the ’s. Today the old plant, tumbledown and in a state of total neglect, cannot but be considered as one of the most curious examples of industrial architecture in the whole of Tuscany; the conveyer belt, the labelling machine and the machine for pasteurizing orangeade are still there, even though covered with a thick layer of rust and dust. The Hotel della Sorgente Roveta, that “sor Gino” built near the works and that in the 6 ’s was an elegant and mondain meeting point equipped with the best comforts and, in those days, favourite training retreat of the Fiorentina football team, is open still today and attests to the successful and bold undertaking by the family. From here we can go down towards the picturesque village of San Martino alla Palma – where, a short distance away, are the Villa Torrigiani and the Villa Antinori – and head on for San Michele a Torri and San Vincenzo a Torri. Near here, in the vicinity of the Via del Lago, hidden by a long and winding path english version