Rock Art of Umbria

The Umbria region’s rock art heritage came to scholarly attention relatively recently, following key discoveries in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Initial finds at Riparo di Pale (Foligno, Perugia) and Riparo del Gabbio (Ferentillo, Terni) sparked systematic surveys led by archaeologist Dr. Tommaso Mattioli, who documented ten sites with predominantly painted motifs alongside a site with petroglyphs. Among these, Riparo di Pale stands out for its red anthropomorphic praying figures painted in red colour over natural rainwater streaks (natural lines of concretion that form on rock surfaces where rainwater flows or drips down over time), and dated via AMS between the Early Neolithic and Middle Bronze Age. Nearby, Riparo delle Formiche Rosse exhibits a distinctive spatial arrangement of black pictograms, including tree-like anthropomorphs and schematic figures with T-shaped faces and bird-like feet, within a small triangular crevice. Another unique example is Riparo delle Mummie I, where black motifs such as caprids and phi-shaped anthropomorphs were applied over a red ochre-prepared surface. More recent research has expanded the known repertoire with faint red-painted figures on the Sasso di Pale slopes, suggesting broader ritual use of the landscape. Many additional unverified rock art traces have been reported in the Umbrian Apennines—near Umbriano Castle, in the Grotta dei Graffiti at Triponzo, and at the Monte Eremita rock shelter—sites which clearly merit further study and documentation.

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History of the Research

Initial Discovery and Systematic Surveys in Umbria (2000-2010)

In the Umbria region, following the initial rock art discoveries at Riparo di Pale (Foligno, Perugia) and Riparo del Gabbio (Ferentillo, Terni) made in the late 1990s by the climber and artist Mr. Feliciano Benci (Fig. 1), systematic surveys were conducted by the archaeologist Dr. Tommaso Mattioli (Fig. 2) in the early 2000s. These surveys resulted in the recording of ten new rock art sites, nine of which feature paintings, while the tenth comprises petroglyphs. A detailed analysis of this rock art repertoire was published in 2007 as a monographic volume in the 'Quaderni di Protostoria' series of the University of Perugia⁽¹⁾ edited by Prof. Gian Luigi Carancini (1937-2024) (Fig. 3). In 2012 a selection of the five most preserved and representative rock art sites of the Umbria region was published in the conference proceedings of the Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria of Florence⁽²⁾. This selection includes the painted sites of Riparo di Pale (Foligno, Perugia), Riparo delle Formiche Rosse (Santa Anatolia di Narco, Perugia), Riparo del Gabbio (Ferentillo, Terni), Riparo delle Mummie (Ferentillo, Terni), and Riparo dello Schioppo (Scheggino, Perugia).

Example of red colour rock art praying figure from Riparo di Pale in 2004: AMS dating indicates that the figure was painted between 5661±36 BCE 1σ and 1569±11 BCE 1σ
(photo by T. Mattioli)

- Original picture

- DStretch YRE filter

Among the painted sites, Riparo di Pale stands out. This small shelter features red figures of praying anthropomorphs, deliberately painted over lines of rainwater seeping through cracks and joints in the vertical wall. AMS dating indicates that these praying figures were painted between 5661±36 BCE 1σ (OZE934) and 1569±11 BCE 1σ (OZE933), roughtly spanning the local Early Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age⁽³⁾. The AMS analyses were carried out by Dr. Tommaso Mattioli at the ANSTO Laboratories in Australia, thanks to the collaboration of Prof. Giovanni Maria Zuppi (1947-2011) from the University of Venice. Located not far from the previous site, Riparo delle Formiche Rosse exhibits an intriguing spatial arrangement of pictograms (Fig. 4). This rock shelter takes the form of a small triangular fissure, within which tree-like anthropomorphic motifs in black colour are depicted on the vertical walls on both sides, while two schematic anthropomorphs, also in black, are depicted on the ground at the vertex of this crevice, at the innermost point of the rock shelter. One anthropomorph is incomplete, while the other features a T-shaped face and bird-like feet. Another noteworthy aspect of the rock art in the Umbria region is found in Riparo delle Mummie I, where the rock surface, decorated with black motifs (caprids, phi-shaped anthropomorphs, geometric symbols) was previously prepared with a layer of red ochre.

Riparo de Lo Schioppo rock art site (photo by Dr. Tommaso Mattioli)

Recent progress in rock art research in Umbria (2010-2020)

Recent investigations in the Umbria region have revealed additional traces of rock art on the south-eastern slope of the Sasso di Pale, expanding upon the earlier discovery documented by Dr. Tommaso Mattioli. Identified by photographer Giovanni Galardini and geologist Roberta Galli, these new red-painted figures appear on vertical rock surfaces and slightly sloping rocky ledges⁽⁴⁾. While the observations reported by G. Galardini and R. Galli offer a potentially valuable contribution to the expanding record of rock art on the Sasso di Pale, the data currently available remain limited in terms of both the precise location of the sites and the clarity and extent of the pictorial evidence. These factors highlight the need for further field verification and systematic investigation in order to fully contextualize and assess the significance of the findings. Their presence, however, suggests a broader use of the mountain for symbolic or ritual purposes. No associated archaeological materials were found nearby, but a fragment of impasto pottery had been recovered further south along the same rocky terrace⁽⁵⁾.

Recent discoveries of red-paintings on Sasso di Pale (photo from D'Erme 2022)

Within the Umbrian Apennines, three additional sites in the Valnerina Valley have been associated with unverified reports of rock art. In proximity to the castle of Umbriano, in the heart of Valnerina valley, incised rock carvings were documented by Carlo Favetti in 2005. Still in the Valnerina valley, a cave known as the Grotta dei Graffiti (Graffiti Cave)⁽⁵⁾ (Fig. 5) in the locality of Triponzo (Cerreto di Spoleto) was reported in a 2000 newspaper article, referencing generic graffiti inside the cavity. A third site, the Monte Eremita rock shelter, lies further north on the southeastern slope of the Eremita mountain, where a dramatic limestone cliff called Le Muraglie dominates the landscape. Partially explored in 2007 by archaeologist Dr. Tommaso Mattioli and hiking guide Mr. Daniele Piermarini, this site remains unpublished and awaits proper documentation.

Rock art site of Gabbio, overview on the decorated wall (photo by Dr. Tommaso Mattioli)

References

• (1) Mattioli, Tommaso: L'arte rupestre in Italia Centrale. Umbria, Lazio, Abruzzo, Quaderni di Protostoria, IV, Ali&No, Perugia, 2007.
• (2) Mattioli, Tommaso: L'arte rupestre preistorica e protostorica dell'Umbria, Preistoria Alpina, Museo Tridentino Scienze Naturali, 46(II), 155-163, 2012.
• (3) Mattioli, Tommaso: La datazione 14C delle concrezioni sigillanti una pittura rupestre del riparo di Pale (Foligno,Perugia). Preistoria Alpina, 46(II), 165-166, 2012.
• (4) D’Erme, L. (2022). ll Sasso di Pale in epoca preistorica e protostorica. In M. Albanesi, M. R. Picuti, & G. Sabatini (Eds.), Il Sasso di Pale di Foligno nel contesto antico della Bassa valle del Menotre : archeologia a scuola (pp. 27-31). San Sisto, Perugia: Fabrizio Fabbri.
• (5) Favetti, C. (2005). Ferentillo segreta... i luoghi del Silenzio: Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Terni e Narni.