An agricultural commune situated in the upper valley of the Bormida. The name derives from “Rocca Vineale,” given to it for the abundance of its vineyards. It belonged to the marchesi Del Carretto and then from the fourteenth century onward to the marchesi del Monferrato. As an imperial fief, it passed to the kingdom of Savoy in 1714. The trapezoidal castle has sturdy walls with four square towers at the corners. It defended the Val Zemola, through which the road from Savona to Ceva passed. Important engagements took place here in 1744 and 1796, when Napoleon’s troops burned the village beneath. The parish church of Sant’Eugenio dates from 1660. An ancient dialect, exclusive to the local inhabitants, is still spoken in the hamlet of Strada.