Grosio Rock Art Park
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| place | Grosio , Via San Faustino |
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Archaeological Park
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The Park of the Rock Art (Parco Incisioni Rupestri) is an archeology and nature park and is located in Grosio and Grosotto , two villages in Valtellina (Italian: Valtellina), part of the Lombardy region (Province of Sondrio). The park was founded in 1978 with the aim of preserving, exploring and developing the cultural heritage of the Dosso dei Castelli (castle hill) of Grosio.
history
The castle hill represents a remarkable combination of historical, archaeological, architectural and landscape cultural assets from different epochs of history. In addition to the old castle (Castello Vecchio) from 10/11. Century and the New Castle (Castello Nuovo) from the 14th century, the slopes of the castle hill were encased over the centuries with the characteristic wine terraces of the Valtellina . The great rocky ridge (Rupe Magna) occupies a special position in this ambience. It is a single rock with more than 5,000 rock drawings ( petroglyphs ) from the 4th – 1st centuries. Millennium BC Christ.
Rupe Magna
Rock carvings have been found in various places in the Valtellina . However, the most important group of rock carvings can be found in Grosio . In addition to the rock art on the Rupe Magna, discovered by the Italian archaeologist Davide Pace in 1966, Pace found other petroglyphs on the neighboring Dosso Giroldo in 1967. From 1991 to 1995 the rock carvings of the Rupe Magna were completely mapped, documented and scientifically examined. It turned out that over 5,000 petroglyphs are depicted on the surface of the Rupe Magna. At 84 m long and 35 m wide, it is the largest of its kind in the entire Alpine region. The Rupe Magna owes its shape and smooth surface to the last ice age, when glaciers moved through the valley. From a geological point of view, it is dark gray phyllite with white quartz veins .
The oldest rock carvings on the Rupe Magna include concentric arches that are reminiscent of well-known representations on steles from the nearby Val Camonica valley and from the Valtellina itself (e.g. Teglio ) and probably dating from the 4th / 3rd centuries. Millennium BC To date. A very important group is formed by the representations known by Davide Pace as "Oranti Saltici" (jumping adorants ). These are three pairs of about 80 cm tall, anthropomorphic figures, which can be dated to the end of the Bronze Age (12th – 10th centuries BC). Your extremities are kept symmetrical and bent at a 90 ° angle. The figures seem to be dancing. Due to the attributes in their hands, it can be a musical dance or a ritual weapon dance.
Basically, most of the figurative representations on the Rupe Magna are anthropomorphic figures. Due to stylistic and chronological differences, the figures can be traced back to the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. BC to the 6th century BC To date. The majority of it is from the Iron Age and shows adorers stretching their arms towards the sky in worship and warriors holding weapons in their hands. Animal representations are also occasionally documented on the Rupe Magna.
Archaeological research on the Dosso dei Castelli has also documented traces of settlements from the Middle Bronze Age (16th – 14th century BC) to the end of the Iron Age (1st century BC).
Castello Vecchio
The so-called Castello Vecchio (Old Castle) was first mentioned as "Castrum Groxi" in a document from 1150. Due to archaeological considerations, however, the construction is assumed to be a little earlier at the end of the 10th century or the beginning of the 11th century.
Today's castle ruins still show the former extent of the facility. Basically it follows the course of the western end of the hilltop of the Dosso dei Castelli . From here one overlooks the Addatal , but also the access to the Mortirolo Pass, which connects the Valtellina with the Valcamonica or further over the Tonale Pass with the Trentino . Historically speaking, the castle is seen more as a symbol of power for the then sovereign, the Bishop of Como , and was primarily used to control the movement of people and goods. However, the storage of the goods taxes or tributes was also an important part of the castle functions. According to the written sources, the Castello Vecchio was inhabited until the 16th century.
In terms of architectural history, it is impressive that parts of the complex were not only built on the rock, but were actually cut and built into the stone. Furthermore, the Romanesque tower dominates the castle chapel, which has only been preserved in its foundations. The earliest phase of this chapel, which is consecrated to Saints Faustinus and Jovita , dates from the 7th-8th centuries from an archaeological point of view. Century. It was a small hall church that was built over a double tomb carved into the rock.
Castello Nuovo
The construction of the Castello Nuovo (New Castle) was realized between 1350 and 1375 at the instigation of the Visconti family , the then lords of Milan . The reason for this was the changed political situation in Valtellina when the valley fell from Como to Milan in 1335. The new facility should also meet the changed strategic military needs. The castle is equipped with a double ring of walls, and holds as the last defense and Vanishing Point a dungeon . The south side is set directly on the slope of the castle hill, while in the north a moat was formerly used to secure the fortress. In fact , the castle complex was never involved in acts of war . In 1376 it served the Milanese as a gathering point for their troops when they marched against Bormio .
As early as 1526, the facility was partially razed, especially the residential wing and other important infrastructure, being decommissioned by the new masters of the Valtellina. A few years earlier, the three valleys of Chiavenna , Valtellina and Bormio were conquered by the Bündner and subsequently separated from Milan and incorporated into the Free State of the Three Leagues as a subject .
Cultural landscape significance
In addition to the archaeological-historical relevance of the place, the slopes of the castle hill represent a fitting example of human intervention in nature and landscape in Valtellina . Over the centuries after the construction of the Castello Vecchio, after 10/11. Century, terraces made of dry stone walls were built here, as they are typical and landscape-defining in the entire Valtellina valley.
Since 2013 the Fondazione Fojanini has freed the terraces around the castle hill from the vegetation of the last century, restructured them if necessary and finally returned to their originally intended purpose, the cultivation of grapevines. Although the Valtellina has historically developed into a growing area for red wine, five different types of white wine grapes are being planted on a trial basis on these revitalized terraces ( Johanniter - Aromera - Bronner - Muscaris - Sauvignon Gris ). A wine has also been made from these stocks since 2017.
literature
- Davide Pace: Petroglifi di Grosio . 1972.
- Davide Pace: Svillupo dell'investigazione archeologica nel sistema petroglifico di Grosio . 1974.
- Davide Pace: Petroglifi dei colli di Grosio . 1977.
- G. Antonioli: La storia dei castelli di Grosio nell'analisi delle fonti documentarie . 2001.
- Carlo Rodolfi, Bruno Ciapponi Landi: Il Parco delle incisioni rupestri di Grosio ( n.d. ).
- R. Poggiani Keller, C. Liborio, MG Ruggiero: Guida all'Antiquarium del Parco delle Incisioni Rupestri di Grosio . 2008.
