Percorso pluritematico Coren delle Fate

The area, first reported in 1950, is first studied by Emmanuel Anati, founder and director of the Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici, who discovers and publishes the 'idol of Sonico', a geometric figure on rock 1. Subsequently, the work of Ausilio Priuli (1990s) enabled a wider investigation of the area with the identification of new engraved surfaces and the creation of the park. Located in the Upper Camonica Valley, the area is characterised by the presence of micascistic rocks (Scisti di Edolo), hard and rough rocks that are difficult to engrave. Also typical of the nearby Sellero municipal archaeology and mining park, these stones differ from the surfaces of the mid-valley parks: Permian violet-coloured sandstones that are easier to scratch. Leaving the car near the historic centre of the village of Sonico, we take the path marked by Adamello Park panels. The path leads along a fascinating chestnut wood, slightly uphill for a few minutes until reaching a fork where, following the signs on the panels, you take the steep path leading to the engraved rocks. When you reach rock 1, the first surface you come across along the path, you cannot fail to be enchanted by the surrounding view: these engravings are among the most northerly in the valley and are located in a strategic position, dominating the modern town. From this natural terrace it is possible to admire the beginning of the Corteno Valley, a connection with the Tellina Valley, and the village of Edolo, beyond which one can reach the Tonale Pass and then Trentino. The engravings that can be admired on the outcropping surfaces are almost exclusively of two types: geometric figures and palettes. Circles, lines and cup-marks (small circular engravings) alternate and combine in a variety of ways, creating games and compositions often joined together by lines and gullies. According to an initial study, advanced by Prof. Anati in the 1960s, some of the circular figures on rock 1 would have represented an 'idol', datable to the Neolithic period (5th-4th millennium BC). Subsequent research has advanced the hypothesis that these are topographic representations, found in many areas of the valley. Among the various figures present, very interesting are the spoked wheels, probably linked to the cyclical nature of the sun and the sacredness of fire. Alongside the numerous geometric depictions, figurative engravings are rare. Among these, the 'palette' figures are very common.