Riparo Belvedere

Belvedere shelter

The Belvedere shelter opens onto a large vertical cliff at an altitude of 675m above sea level. The formation of the shelter is due to an erosion phenomenon that occurred at the intersection of a stratification joint (an area in which water can creep more easily) between the Dolomite banks. Probably the current shape of the shelter is due to a retreat of the slope which has truncated a deeper karst cavity.
The main archaeological research on the human occupation of the Belvedere shelter were conducted by F. Fedele and F. Strobino between the second half of the 70s and the early 80s of the twentieth century. That research has documented a long occupation going from the Middle Palaeolithic to the early Middle Ages.

Riparo Belvedere: Benvenuti

The study of the historical phases has allowed to identify medieval ceramics associated with fragments of iron blades, while two coins (one in copper from the Ostrogothic period and the other from the imperial period) attest to the frequentation of the site in the Early Medieval and Imperial periods. Below these stratigraphical units, a Neolithic occupation, characterized by numerous cereals, by hearths associated with post holes and by lithic tools, has been highlighted. The last archaeological layer, the deepest one, is attributable to the Middle Palaeolithic, as evidenced by lithic tools in quartz, associated with possible faunas, very similar to that found in the contemporary levels of Ciota Ciara and Ciotarun.

Riparo Belvedere: Testo