S. Camara
T. Mattioli
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Val de Varri Cave Rock Art (Italy)
The entrance of Val del Varri cave (from laquilablog.it)
The Val de Varri Cave (Lazio, Italy) preserves a significant assemblage of prehistoric rock engravings within a karst cave system. These engravings, mainly geometric, are located in the upper galleries and are associated with evidence of Bronze Age occupation and ritual activity. The cave is a swallow-hole cave located in the Cicolano area (central Italy), a type of karst system in which surface waters are captured and conveyed into an underground drainage system. The cave develops for approximately 2 km with a vertical range of about 80 m and is characterized by both active and fossil branches. The stream flowing through the cave collects runoff from a closed basin of approximately 23 km² and, after passing through a short gorge at the base of the southern slope of Monte S. Angelo, disappears into this prominent swallow hole.
Plan of the entrance sector of Val de Varri Cave (after Mecchia et al. 2003)
The cave entrance lies at the base of a limestone cliff, where a 12 m waterfall descends along the rock face. At its base, the water flows into the main gallery of the swallow hole. Opposite the waterfall, just below its lip, an opening leads to a large fossil chamber known as the “Grotta Superiore” (Upper Cave), which is accessible via the current visitor route. The cave was first systematically explored in November 1929 by members of the Circolo Speleologico Romano and is catalogued in the Lazio cave register under number 288/La. During this initial exploration, abundant Eneolithic pottery was recovered in the Upper Cave, associated with the remains of hearths.
The so-called “idol” reported by the earliest explorers (after Güller and Segre 1948)
In 1948, Aldo Giacomo Segre (1918-2018), Italian geologist, geomorphologist, and archaeologist, together with Alfred Güller excavated three such hearth deposits—shallow accumulations of sand and ash irregularly distributed among the boulders—in the innermost sector of the chamber. More recent analyses of these materials indicate that the cave was frequented during the Middle Bronze Age (Apennine cultural horizon), possibly for ritual or cultic purposes. The first explorers also reported the presence of a so-called “primitive idol”: a striking white concretion of anthropomorphic appearance that stands out against the darker deposits of the cave. This feature is located in a visually prominent position on the rear wall of a branch of the Upper Cave, at the apex of a mound of indurated mud coated with calcite. Although now recognized as a naturally formed stalagmitic structure, its suggestive morphology may have impressed—or even influenced—the perception of prehistoric visitors.
Example of rock carvings from the Val de Varri Cave (photograph from viaggiamonellastoria-travelblog.com)
The rock carvings were identified during more recent investigations, particularly during the 1997 research campaigns coordinated by the archaeological authorities of Lazio. These studies aimed both to advance scientific understanding of the site and to support its promotion for tourism, leading to the documentation of numerous marks and motifs on the cave walls. The engravings are concentrated on the walls of the upper gallery and at various points along the lateral walls. Some are also located in less accessible areas or several metres above the present floor level, making them difficult to observe.
The Rock Art Figures
Engravings from the Val de Varri Cave (from Mattioli 2007)
The rock art motifs of this cave are predominantly geometric and abstract. These include curved segments arranged in rows, semicircles, circles with a central dot, dotted compositions, and figures resembling “flower-like” forms. In some cases, concentric lines and groups of marks organized in repetitive patterns are also present. The techniques used to produce these figures are not always clear; however, some appear to have been created through finger impressions, while others were executed by scratching or engraving the rock surface with simple tools.
Example of rock carvings from the Val de Varri Cave (photo from Sebasti and Camara 2001)
From a chronological perspective, these engravings likely date from the Late Neolithic/Chalcolithic to the Early Bronze Age. Comparisons with sites such as Grotta dei Cervi (Porto Badisco) and other rock art complexes in the Alpine and Iberian regions suggest that motifs like concentric circles, spirals, and curved lines were common among agro-pastoral communities. Their meaning remains uncertain but is generally interpreted as symbolic or ritual. Their placement in elevated or hard-to-reach areas supports this interpretation. The cave likely had a dual function over time, serving both as a seasonal dwelling during the Bronze Age and as a ritual space in earlier periods.
Example of rock carvings from the Val de Varri Cave (photo from Sebasti and Camara 2001)
References
2008
Testimonianze di arte rupestre nel grottone di Val de’ Varri Proceedings Article
In: Pagani, Rodolfo; Silvi, Cesare (Ed.): Atti giornata di studio: Informazione e cultura per la protezione e valorizzazione del patrimonio storico ed archeologico della Valle del Salto, S. Lucia di Fiamignano, 1 Dicembre 2007. , pp. 107-114, 2008.
2007
L'arte rupestre in Italia centrale : Umbria, Lazio, Abruzzo Book
Ali&no, Perugia, 2007, ISBN: 9788887594997.
2003
Le Grotte Del Lazio: I Fenomeni Carsici, Elementi Della Geodiversità Book
Agenzia Regionale Parchi - Roma, 2003.
2001
Testimonianze di arte rupestre scoperte nel grottone di Val de Varri (Rieti, Italia) Journal Article
In: Atti del II Convegno internazionale di archeologia rupestre "Archeologia e arte rupestre: l'Europa, le Alpi, la Valcamonica”, pp. 57-61, 2001.
1997
Prehistoric paintings in the Val De Varri’s cave Journal Article
In: TRACCE, vol. 9, 1997.
1980
Problematica sui luoghi di culto nel Lazio dal Neolitico all'età del Bronzo Journal Article
In: Quaderni del Centro di Studio per l'Archeologia Etrusco -Italica, Centro di Studio per l’Archeologia Etrusco-Italica, vol. IV, pp. 143-147, 1980.
1948
La stazione enea del grottone di Val de' Varri nell'Appennino abruzzese Journal Article
In: Rivista di Antropologia, Istituto Italiano di Antropologia, vol. 36, pp. 269-281, 1948.
1931
La grotta di Val de Varri e una serie di interessanti scoperte eneolitiche nel carseolano (Abruzzo) Journal Article
In: Le Grotte d'Italia (Istituto Italiano di Speleologia), vol. 5, iss. 2, pp. 85-87, 1931.
Gallery
by Sebasti and Camara 2001
by Sebasti and Camara 2001
by Sebasti and Camara 2001
by viaggiamonellastoria-travelblog.com
by viaggiamonellastoria-travelblog.com
by Mattioli 2007
Support us today!
This website doesn't receive any public funds and it is based on volunteering