Discover the Cave

Grotta di Fumane (Fumane Cave), located in the municipality of Fumane (Verona), is one of the most important prehistoric archaeological sites in Europe. The rich evidence preserved in the cave’s infill deposits, studied through scientific research coordinated by the University of Ferrara, represents an exceptional record of the presence of Neanderthals and the first Homo sapiens. This site is fundamental for studying the lifestyle, economy, and technology of past human groups who frequented the Valpolicella area for more than 50,000 years, as well as for understanding the processes that led, around 40,000 years ago, to the success of our species in Europe.

More than thirty years after the first excavation campaign (1988), Fumane is now recognized by the international scientific community as one of the most important sites in Europe, as it preserves evidence of climatic events that took place between about 200,000 years ago and the end of the last glacial cycle, spanning the Middle and Late Pleistocene. Besides providing key information for reconstructing climatic and ecological changes in this area during the Upper Pleistocene, its complex stratigraphic sequence, with its lithological characteristics and paleontological content, also records the replacement of Neanderthals by modern humans. Since 2005, the Cave has been accessible to visitors of the Lessinia Park through an evocative route that allows them to examine the stratigraphy and recognize traces of Paleolithic settlements.