Trentino archaeometallurgy research showcased at TourismA: sites, protection and tourist routes

Trentino archaeometallurgy research presented at TourismA

The Superintendency for Cultural Heritage of the Autonomous Province of Trento presented results from the Archaeological Heritage Office on archaeometallurgy at TourismA - the Archaeology and Cultural Tourism Fair in Florence.

Presentation and context: archaeologist Paolo Bellintani spoke on "The copper routes in Trentino's pre-protohistory" during a workshop focused on mountain prehistory and protohistory, highlighting Trentino's role in copper production and distribution between the Copper Age and the end of the Bronze Age (c. 2500–1000 BCE).

Key findings:

• More than 200 smelting sites identified, associated with the extraction and initial processing of chalcopyrite, abundant in eastern Trentino.
• Evidence of a mining district that supplied copper to the Po plain and farther regions.
• Traces of early ore treatment techniques used in pre-protohistoric communities.

Protection and enhancement projects: the Archaeological Heritage Office outlined measures to conserve and promote the mining and metallurgical heritage, from museum displays to on-site conservation and educational initiatives.

Since 2020 research has resumed in the Vetriolo mining area (Levico Terme), where signs of a complex excavation and primary ore-processing system are emerging. Finds are being studied and exhibited in local museums while on-site valorization continues.

A notable site is the Acqua Fredda metallurgical workshop at Passo del Redebus, between the Valle dei Mocheni and the Altopiano di Piné: it is the best-preserved workshop discovered so far and is undergoing musealization for public access and live demonstrations.

Education and experiential tourism: alongside school programmes and summer experimental copper-working demonstrations, tourist itineraries are being planned to link key stages of Trentino's mining history, for example connecting Acqua Fredda with the medieval Erdemolo mine.

For practical information about visits, school activities and guided routes, contact local museums or the Archaeological Heritage Office of the Autonomous Province of Trento.