The Valle Camonica, located between the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia, in Lombardy, is one of the most beautiful valleys of the central Alps, and also one of the longest. With a history spanning more than 8000 years, this valley is a place of extraordinary historical, cultural and natural interest.
Short history of the Camonica valley
The ancient history of Val Camonica begins with the end of the last ice age, about 15,000 years ago, when the glacier melted and created the valley. This imposing glacier, 90 km long and a few hundred meters thick, carved the landscape of the valley.
The ancient Camuni, people of uncertain origin or pre-Indo-European, began to visit the valley already in the Epipaleolithic and settled there permanently from the Neolithic. Although little is known about their society, the Camuni are famous for their rock carvings. With over 300,000 petroglyphs, the Val Camonica is the largest rock art centre in Europe, an invaluable testimony to their presence and culture. The engravings are distributed over more than 180 locations along the valley and depict hunting scenes, religious rituals, daily activities and abstract symbols. The National Park of Rock Carvings of Naquane, located in Capo di Ponte, is one of the most important sites. Here, you can admire thousands of figures engraved on sandstone rocks, which offer a fascinating view of the life and beliefs of prehistoric camunni populations.
With the Roman conquest in the 1st century BC, the Valley of the Camonica became part of the Roman Empire. The Romans built infrastructures such as roads and bridges, and traces of their presence are still visible today, as in the case of the bridge of Cividate Camuno and the Roman baths.
In the Middle Ages, the valley was dominated by the Lombards and then by the Franks. During this period, the valley was enriched with castles, churches and monasteries, many of which are still visible. The Abbey of San Salvatore a Capo di Ponte, founded in the 8th century, is an important example of medieval religious architecture.
From the 15th century, the Valle Camonica was under the control of the Republic of Venice, which brought a period of stability and prosperity. This period saw the construction of numerous hydraulic engineering works, such as canals and mills, which improved agriculture and local industry.
Today, the Valle Camonica is a region that combines historical richness with modernity. The local economy is based on a combination of agriculture, industry and tourism. Tourism is very developed and eight theme parks have been created to visit the rock carvings of the ancient Camuni.
The Camuni and the rock carvings of the Valle Camonica
The Camuni, a pre-Indo-European people settled in the Val Camonica around the Neolithic, are known for their rock carvings. They are found in the province of Brescia, in the central Alps. Known as Camunni in Latin, they left over 300,000 rock carvings, the main testimony of their culture. Subjugated by the Romans in the 1st century BC, the Camunis obtained Roman citizenship and were quickly latinized. The rock carvings of Val Camonica are among the most important in Europe. According to contemporary scholars, the Camunis are better associated with the Rhaetian environment. Their social customs and traditions are similar to those of Rezia, a region situated between the Italian Alps and the upper Rhine region.
The rock carvings of Val Camonica, located in the province of Brescia, constitute one of the largest collections of prehistoric petroglyphs in the world. The rock art is present on about 2,000 rocks distributed in over 180 locations of twenty-four municipalities, with a particular concentration in the municipalities of Capo di Ponte, Ceto (Nadro), Cimbergo, Paspardo, Sonico, Sellero, Darfo Boario Terme and Ossimo. There are eight parks in these areas which are equipped for visitors.
In 1979, the rock carvings of Val Camonica became the first site in Italy to be recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, which initially recognized over 140,000 figures. New discoveries have brought the total number of engravings to about 200,000, if not 300,000.
The rock carvings of Val Camonica, made over eight thousand years until the Iron Age (I millennium BC), are mainly attributed to the people of Camuni, mentioned in the Latin sources. Although the tradition of petroglification was not interrupted abruptly, with engravings dating back to the Roman era, medieval and even the nineteenth century, most of the engravings were made using the hammer technique, while a smaller number used graffiti.
The technique called “hammer” is obtained by tapping the rock surface with a stone or metal tool that creates small circular concavities. The figures can be defined by a hammer outline or they can be completely hammered in with the hammer. Another technique adopted is the one called “filiforme” or “a graffito”: in this case the representations are obtained by engraving the rocky surface with a pointed tool that leaves the mark of a groove. It is not uncommon to find in the rich repertoire of rock art camuna figures made with the use of both techniques: in this case the filiform technique is adopted to engrave some details of the figures. The engravings often depict religious scenes, of hunting or fighting, representing ideograms that represent ideas rather than real objects.
These works served for celebratory, commemorative, initiatory or propitiatory purposes, both religious and secular. Among the most famous symbols is the Camuna rose, adopted as the official emblem of Lombardy. Locally, the engravings are called “pitoti”, a dialect term meaning “puppets”.
In addition, the Camunis also left statues steles or mehir statues, stone monuments in anthropomorphic style.The star statues of the Val Camonica are therefore ancient stone sculptures dating back to the Copper Age (about 3400-2200 BC) and the Bronze Age. They are engraved stone slabs that depict stylized human figures, often with ornaments and weapons. Figures, male or female, are represented with details such as swords, daggers, bows, arrows and other distinctive elements that indicate their social status or role within the community.
Foto : Italia
The parks of rock carvings
The rock carvings of Valle Camonica are collected in eight theme parks. The following is a list of the parks, all located in the province of Brescia:
1) Park of interest supercomunale lake Moro, Luine and Monticolo – locality Darfo- Boario Terme.
It is a large protected area that contains two main areas: the site of the park of Luine and that of the Corni Freschi. The carvings are particularly difficult to observe and their rock support is made up of the stone called “Simona”. This term refers to an ornamental stone used in the Val Camonica since the 14th century. The name Simona comes from the locality Simoni di Gorzone where it was extracted.
2) Archaeological Park of Asinino-Anvòia, in the locality of Ossimo. It rises on an area of cult of the Copper Age. In the place have been reconstructed statues stele found there.
3) Nature reserve of the rock carvings of Ceto, Cimbergo and Paspardo. The reserve is a large protected natural area, mainly composed of chestnut and birch woods and extends over 290 hectares. Within the park there are more than 400 rocks with particular concentrations of engravings in the areas of Foppe (Nadro di Ceto) Campanine (Cimbergo), Plas, In Vall and Sottolaiolo (Paspardo).
4) Naquane National Park of rock carvings is located in Capo di Ponte. It is the most important archaeological site of Val Camonica.
The Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities, since December 2014 manages the National Park through the Polo Museale of Lombardy. It is the first park founded in Valle Camonica in 1955. It extends for fourteen hectares with 104 rocks engraved.
5) National Archaeological Park of the Massi di Cemmo, locality Cemmo, Capo di Ponte. This park preserves the Cemmo Rocks, two erratic boulders with rock carvings from the Copper Age that were the first carvings discovered and reported in Val Camonica in 1909. In the park there are stele statues.
6) Seradina-Bedolina municipal archaeological park is located in Capo di Ponte. It is the last theme park opened in 2005 in Val Camonica. Presence of engravings dating back to the late Bronze and Iron Ages.
7) Archaeological Municipal Park of Sellero, locality Sellero. The first archaeological finds occurred in the 1960s, with the discovery of twenty-five figurations including the famous female idol. It is the engraving of a large female figure, in fact, the two discs represent the breasts and the disc coppellato the sex; is related to the final Neolithic.
8) Multi-thematic route of the “Coren delle Fate” Sonico locality. In this park there is the rock carving depicting the Idol of Sonico, there are also two solar discs depicted, all together the carving recalls the figure of a child in fasce.
The Valle Camonica today and the impact of rock carvings on local tourism
The rock carvings of Val Camonica, one of the most important archaeological sites in the world, have a significant impact on tourism in the area.
The engravings, which have been declared a World Heritage site, attract thousands of visitors every year. This constant flow of tourists has made the engravings one of the main cultural and historical attractions of Lombardy.
The tourism generated by rock carvings has a positive economic impact on Val Camonica. Accommodation activities such as hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops benefit greatly from the presence of visitors. In addition, the tourist interest has helped to create jobs in the services and travel guides sector.
The engravings not only attract tourists, but also scholars, archaeologists and students. This contributes to the dissemination of knowledge about the history and culture of the region, also promoting educational and didactic activities.
The importance of engravings has led to investment in local infrastructure, improving roads, signage and access to archaeological sites. These improvements facilitate not only access to historic sites, but also overall mobility in the valley, benefiting residents and visitors. Events, exhibitions and conferences related to rock carvings are often organized, further increasing the tourist influx and enriching the cultural offer of the area.
In summary, the rock carvings of Val Camonica represent a driving force for local tourism, contributing significantly to the economic, cultural and infrastructural development of the Lombardy region.
Geography of the Valle Camonica
The Camonica Valley, or Valle Camonica, is one of the largest valleys in the Central Alps, located in eastern Lombardy, between the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia. Almost 100 km long, covering a surface of 1518.19 sq km and housing a population of 116,977 inhabitants.
The valley begins in the south at the mountain Corna Trentapassi, on Lake Iseo, and ends in the north with three mountain passes: Passo del Tonale (1883 m.), Passo dell’Aprica and Passo del Gavia, the latter the most northern point of the valley. The ancient inhabitants, the Camuni, are mentioned in the Latin ethnonym.
The Corna Trentapassi, a 1248 m high mountain in the Brescian Alps, is located on the eastern shore of Lake Iseo and marks the beginning of the Val Camonica. Thanks to its isolated and stretched position in the lake, it offers a great panoramic point. Geologically, it is composed of limestone rocks with little vegetation, especially on the southern side.
Val Camonica is crossed by the river Oglio, which rises in Ponte di Legno, enters into Lake Iseo at Costa Volpino, exits at Sarnico and flows into the Po. The valley is mainly located in the province of Brescia, except for the municipalities of Lovere, Rogno, Costa Volpino, Castro and the Valle di Scalve, which belong to the province of Bergamo. In 1979, the rock carvings of Val Camonica were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in 2018 the entire valley was designated a biosphere reserve.
Surrounded by the mountains of the Adamello group to the east and the Orobie Alps to the west, the valley hosts several peaks that exceed 3000 meters. Geologically, the valley has conglomerates of verrucano and red sandstone, used for rock carvings. There are many deposits of slate (piòda), used for the roofs of houses. In the area between Costa Volpino and Pisogne, near Lake Iseo, there are deposits of silicate gypsum called volpinite. To the north, on the ridge that divides the Val Camonica from Valtellina, there are marble mines of Vezza d’Oglio.
How to reach the Valle Camonica
By train, car or plane from the airports of Bergamo, Verona or Milan, the Valle Camonica is easily accessible.
Inform yourself in time on the official website of Valle Camonica UNESCO and on the sites of the various municipalities concerned for visiting times of the theme parks you want to visit.
The Naquane National Park of rock carvings and the Cemmo National Park are considered open-air museums and have visiting hours and an entrance ticket.
From Tuesday to Saturday: from 8.30 am to 7 pm (last entry at 6.30 pm).
Sundays and public holidays: from 8.30 to 14.00 (last entry at 13.30).
Closed on Mondays unless otherwise stated.
Unless otherwise indicated by the Ministry, the parks are closed: 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.
Copertina: Italia
