Massi di Cemmo: from Cultic Sanctuary to National Park An Overview and Proposal of Changes based on Accessibility

This thesis pertains to the present, past and future of the Parco Archeologico Nazionale dei Massi di Cemmo, in Capo di Ponte, Valcamonica. The ultimate goal is to show that synthesis is possible between archaeological scholarship, up-to-date accessibility standards, and modern concepts of cultural heritage management, which together can create meaningful encounters with the past using the case study of Massi di Cemmo. It is primarily divided into two sections: the first part describes the site’s story through Archaeological interpretation and historical sourcing and the second part focuses on Massi di Cemmo as a world heritage site which focuses on education, accessibility and valorization today and into the future. The beginning of this thesis examines the archaeological and historical significance of the Copper Age sanctuary site of Massi di Cemmo through an interdisciplinary lens with a highlight on Indigenous studies. It focuses on how people have shaped Valcamonica (and to a lesser extent in this work, Valtellina) from as early as the Epigravettian era through today and in return the valley shaped the culture, community, and economy of the people who lived there. Before examining the specific archaeological record of Massi di Cemmo this work provides context by exploring the rituality that defined the people of Valcamonica in the Copper Age, with a focus on funerary rituals, cultic activity to do with rocks and megalithic sanctuary sites. Afterwards the archaeological discoveries made at Massi di Cemmo are used to explain the importance of the sanctuary within the context of the ritual landscape of Valcamonica and how its use evolved over time, from the Mesolithic to the late Roman period when it was finally desanctified. This significant lifespan is then further explored through the site’s modern ‘discovery’ in 1909, the management of Valcamonica’s archaeologically important areas pertaining to rock art by the Soprintendenza Archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio per le province di Bergamo e Brescia, and how this institution changed over time. The final part of this first section describes how the national park was founded and how it physically exists today. The second portion of this thesis examines Massi di Cemmo in the context of its existence as a prehistoric rock art site, a national park part of a UNESCO site and what steps can be taken to ensure it remains viable to all visitors in the future. It begins with an exploration of the accessibility laws that exist in Italy and the wider EU in terms of access to public spaces and cultural heritage of all kinds. This thesis then analyzes data about accessibility asked for and received by other rock art sites world wide, some with a similar context, and additionally those without. The final portion of this project focuses on suggestions to allow greater accessibility for all at Parco Archeologico Nazionale dei Massi di Cemmo. These research backed suggestions are divided into two kinds, one focusing on enhancement of the tangible space of the physical site, and the other, changes and/or additions that can foster wider communication and connection in relation to the park. It concludes by reviewing the provided information and offering a hopeful look at Massi di Cemmo’s legacy moving forward.