Parco archeologico nazionale dei Massi di Cemmo

About the museum

The park lies in the small valley of Pian delle Greppe, near the hamlet of Cemmo in Capo di Ponte, and is one of the areas of the UNESCO site “Arte rupestre della Valle Camonica” (Rock Art of Valle Camonica). It was inaugurated in October 2005 as an extension of a state-owned area that had existed since 1964. In 1979 the Valle Camonica site became the first in Italy to be inscribed on the World Heritage List.

The heart of the park consists of two large sandstone boulders, about fifteen metres apart, which fell from the rock face behind them at the beginning of the Holocene and were engraved by the ancient inhabitants of the valley from the Copper Age onwards. Boulder 1 bears more than 150 figures, including deer, ibex, wild boar, dogs, daggers and a ploughing scene; boulder 2 shows animals, weapons, stylised human figures, a four-wheeled cart and a plough.

The engravings were first reported in 1909 by the geographer Gualtiero Laeng, the first to mention the valley’s rock art; research continued with Emmanuel Anati in 1962 and, from the early 1980s, with the Soprintendenza archeologica della Lombardia (Lombardy heritage authority for archaeology). The area was visited from the Mesolithic and Neolithic onwards, and in the Copper Age became a megalithic sanctuary with decorated stelae. It was enclosed by a wall in the Bronze Age, renewed in the Iron Age and still used in Roman times, before being abandoned with the spread of Christianity. More than twenty stelae from the site are displayed at MuPre, the prehistory museum of Capo di Ponte.

Highlights

• Cemmo boulder 1 with more than 150 engravings
• Cemmo boulder 2 with a four-wheeled cart and a plough
• Remains of a Copper Age megalithic sanctuary
• UNESCO site “Rock Art of Valle Camonica”
• Accessible route with audio guides and tactile aids

Permanent exhibition

• Masso di Cemmo 1 e Masso di Cemmo 2 – Two sandstone boulders covered with engravings from different periods, from the Copper Age to Roman times.

Founded

2005

Operated by

Direzione regionale Musei nazionali Lombardia (Ministero della Cultura)

Visitors per year

approx. 6,527 (2022)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description

The park is described as fully accessible, with level, well-equipped paths. Multilingual audio guides can also be used by blind visitors; there are maps and tactile drawings, casts of some engravings, a Braille volume and some engravings that can be touched, as well as a video guide with LIS and ASL sign-language interpreters.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The park is located near the hamlet of Cemmo, close to the Pieve di San Siro.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit