Parco di Interesse Sovracomunale del Lago Moro Luine e Monticolo

The archaeological area of Luine, in a dominating position with respect to the built-up area of Darfo B.T., has yielded, in addition to numerous rock engravings, the remains of probable places of worship, hut bottoms and dry-stone wall structures, which could testify to the presence of a 'sanctuary' used by one or more prehistoric communities to hold collective ceremonies. On the outcrops of Simona stone, with its characteristic purple colour, there are more than 100 historiated panels. In Luine one can see the oldest rock engravings of the Camuno cycle, dating back to the Mesolithic period, possibly executed by semi-nomadic hunters who used the valley as hunting territory at the end of the great ice ages. Subsequently, the area was abandoned to become a place of worship and engraving again towards the end of the Neolithic period and especially in the Bronze and Iron Ages. The main rocks are equipped with explanatory signs and all routes are well signposted and maintained. We would like to point out the large rock 34, unmissable for its historical importance and artistic beauty. It is an enormous sloping surface that the engravings cover almost completely, embracing the entire Camuno artistic cycle: from the large animal silhouette datable to around 10,000 years ago, to Iron Age warriors from the 1st millennium BC. Almost the entire Camonica repertoire is concentrated on this rock, considered among the most beautiful in the Camonica Valley. At the top, one can read the large square-bodied warrior silhouettes (almost one metre high) dating back to the end of the Iron Age; below, there are large reticles flanked by smaller figures of duellists. More enigmatic figures are clearly visible: a meander, a labyrinth and a Camuna rose, while a protruding mound houses a composition of Bronze Age weapons. On a clear winter's day, the view from below of this rock thrills and takes one's breath away! An important Neolithic phase is also documented at Luine, but above all an exceptional quantity of weapon depictions and geometric compositions from the Copper and Bronze Ages. Among the latter, the uncommon depictions of halberds, objects of prestige that remained in use no later than the early Bronze Age (early 2nd millennium BC), undoubtedly stand out. The Corni Freschi archaeological site The area of the Corni Freschi boulder, on the right bank of the River Oglio at the base of the Monticolo hill, is part of the complex of cult sites that characterised various locations in the Camonica Valley during the Copper Age (3rd millennium BC). The boulder, reported in 1961 by Emmanuel Anati, is a large block of sandstone precipitated from the rocky slope behind it: at the centre of the vertical wall is a composition of nine halberds, from which it derives its other name: 'Rock of the Halberds'. The weapons were engraved at almost life size, with blades ranging from approximately 25 to 30 cm in length. Similar contexts, in which large boulders detached from walls were engraved and became an integral part of sacred areas, are also known in other locations in Valle Camonica: at Cemmo di Capo di Ponte and at Rock 30 at Foppe di Nadro, in the municipality of Ceto. Typological and iconographic comparisons, both with similar weapons found in excavation contexts (Villafranca - VR) and with similar depictions engraved on other boulders in the Camonica Valley (the Cemmo 3 stele), have allowed us to date the Corni Freschi histories to the end of the Copper Age (second half of the 3rd millennium BC).