Visit Spezia

PaleoFestival

In these two days, the garden, terraces, and all spaces of the Castle will be transformed into a large urban archaeological park where interactive points will be created by experimental archaeologists, archaeotechnicians, educational staff from museums and archaeological parks, and experimenters to disseminate, through interactive demonstrations and workshops, the customs and traditions of the Prehistory and ancient civilizations.  

Through experiential activities, playful moments, manual workshops, and live performances, the Paleofestival disseminates archaeological experiments, teaching children and adults to manipulate materials to produce tools and utensils from Prehistory so that, knowing the roots of our past, they can improve their future in a new awareness of the relationship with the environment and society. In ancient times, in fact, the reuse and recycling of materials were essential for economic savings, and the practical transmission of knowledge was the main method of teaching, as it guaranteed both the survival and progress of the entire community.  

This year's program is particularly rich in proposals, with a total of 35 different activities, and in addition to the trusted protagonists of past editions, new experimenters and collaborations with archaeological parks from all over Italy and even from Corsica will be present. At the end of the day on April 27, a show based on narration and music will be presented, narrating the fundamental stages of the long human journey, with the background of Antonio Vivaldi's music, which will lead us to the knowledge of the discoveries that have changed our history.  

Complete program of the event:  

Saturday, April 27, 2024:  

  • 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Marco Greco (La Spezia) - Become a paleo-painter: painting on stone with ochre and natural colors
  • 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM: Alfio Tomaselli (Pistoia), Experimental Archaeology – Fire in Prehistory
  • 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Alessandro Filippi and Valerio Simini (La Spezia) – When the Romans stamped their feet. Let's make a scabellum: the sound sandal used by Roman musicians to keep time during their performances
  • 3:00 PM-4:00 PM and 5:00 PM-6:00 PM: Sara Lenzoni and Gianfranco Berghich (La Spezia) – Romans in red... and green: Workshop to experiment with dyeing fabrics with madder, weld, walnut husk, and cochineal.
  • 3:00 PM-4:00 PM and 5:00 PM-6:00 PM: Samuela Raffaelli and Marta Ragnoli (La Spezia) – Archaeologist for a day. Experience the profession of archaeological excavation
  • 3:00 PM-6:00 PM: Legio XII Fulminata (Cesena, Arezzo) - The world of gladiators in ancient Rome: combat demonstrations, exhibition of reproduction archaeological artifacts
  • 3:30 PM-4:30 PM: Serenella Zucconi and Silvia Ioli Parchi Val di Cornia (Livorno) - In the workshop of the Etruscan goldsmith: embossing of metal sheet
  • 3:30 PM-4:30 PM and 4:30 PM-5:30 PM: Renato Fasolo, Archeoland and Amelie Nottebohn (Verona) - Dressing the stele statues of the Alps. Workshop on weaving natural fibers.
  • 3:30 PM-4:30 PM and 5:00 PM-6:00 PM: Luca Bedini, Miluca Experimental Archaeology (Modena) - Demonstration of the production of vessels on the Greco-Roman lathe
  • 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM: Giorgio and Roberto Giannotti (La Spezia) - Discovering the cave. Immersive experience in Prehistory
  • 3:30 PM-6:00 PM: Fabio Fazzini, Paola Benedetti (Macerata) – The warrior and the Picene princess. Demonstration of bone and amber processing to make a polymathic fibula.
  • 3:30 PM-6:30 PM: Cultural Association Friends of Luni (La Spezia) - Lunensia: scenes of life in ancient Luni: the tabernae canistraria, musivaria, and textrina. Workshop for making baskets, mosaics, and weaving (3:30 PM-4:30 PM weaving workshop, 4:30 PM-5:30 PM mosaic workshop, 5:30 PM-6:30 PM weaving workshop)
  • 4:00 PM-4:30 PM: Vincent Lascour, Chalcophore Association (Corsica) – Bronze Age craftsmen: metal casting
  • 4:00 PM-4:30 PM; 4:30 PM-5:00 PM and 5:30 PM-6:00 PM: Susanna Gasparini, Silvia Pini, Neolithic Village Archaeological Park of Travo (Piacenza) – Prehistoric modeling workshop: reproduction of Neolithic and megalithic architectures to scale
  • 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM and 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM: Anna Rozzi and Greta Bonati (La Spezia) – Children, Romans, fellow citizens... We are here to bury Caesar. Let's reconstruct Caesar's funeral bed
  • 4:00 PM-5:00 PM and 5:30 PM-6:30 PM (also for adults): Edoardo Ratti, Archeolink (Massa Carrara) and Raffaella Badiale (La Spezia) – The wild boar, proud opponent of savage divine strength, becomes terracotta. Celtic clay sculpture workshop
  • 4:00 PM-5:00 PM and 5:30 PM-6:30 PM (also for adults): Jacopo Crezzini, University of Siena - A beastly day: hunting and butchering animals in the Paleolithic
  • 4:00 PM-5:00 PM and 5:30 PM-6:30 PM: Sara Piva (La Spezia) - The Eye of Ra. Let's make ancient Egyptian amulets.
  • 4:00 PM-5:00 PM and 5:30 PM-6:30 PM: Riccardo Chessa, Albori archaeological park Grosseto) - Ceramic workshop to make and decorate a Copper Age bell beaker in Campaniform style.
  • 4:00 PM-5:00 PM and 5:30 PM-6:30 PM: Antonio Motta, science communicator (Massa Carrara) – Sounds and musical instruments in Prehistory
  • 4:30 PM-6:00 PM: Ginevra Gottardi, Manual Interactive Laboratory (Trento) - Learn the embossing technique on metal sheet: the mask of Agamemnon
  • 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM: Mauro Viegi and Claudio Pratelli, Brigata del Tasso (Pisa) - The bow: origins, construction techniques, and materials. Practical shooting tests
  • 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Alfio Tomaselli (Pistoia), Experimental Archaeology - Flint knapping demonstration
  • 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Serenella Zucconi and Silvia Ioli Parchi Val di Cornia (Livorno) - My name in Etruscan: writing in Etruscan on papyrus
  • 5:00 PM-6:30 PM: Vincent Lascour, Chalcophore Association (Corsica) - Bronze Age craftsmen: Demonstration of obsidian and steatite knapping
  • 5:20 PM-5:50 PM and 6:00 PM-6:30 PM: Legio XII Fulminata (Cesena, Arezzo) - The world of gladiators in ancient Rome: workshops for training young legionnaires.
  • 6:30 PM-8:00 PM - Concluding show: The Four Seasons of Human History by Stefano Ricci, anthropologist at the University of Siena, with Benedetta Mignani - solo violin, Aurora Duchi - second violin, Gennaro Scacchioli - viola, Andrea Sernesi - cello. The fundamental stages of the long human journey, with the background of the great music of Antonio Vivaldi, which leads us to the knowledge of the discoveries that have changed our history for better or worse.

Sunday, April 28, 2024:

  • 11:00 AM-1:00PM: Fifth Experimental Archaeology Study Meeting. Issues and solutions between research and dissemination. Free entry Marta Coccoluto, Head of the Archaeological Park of Baratti and Populonia - Populonia, Etruscan city by the sea. Archaeological research, enhancement projects, and cultural management. Vincent Lascour – The road of obsidian. The circumnavigation of Corsica in a monolithic dugout canoe Stefano Ricci – Us, the Neanderthals and the Denisovans: Stories of prehistoric coexistence Fabio Fazzini – Amber: history and processing in the Piceno of the Iron Age
  • 2:30 PM-3:30 PM: ArchaeoBarter of raw materials and artifacts
  • 3:00 PM-4:00 PM and 5:00 PM-6:00 PM: Marco Greco (La Spezia) – Become a paleo-painter: painting on stone with ochre and natural colors
  • 3:30 PM-4:30 PM: Riccardo Chessa, Albori archaeological park (Grosseto) - Workshop for preparing necklace beads in bone, hammering small copper axes
  • 3:30 PM-4:30 PM: Serenella Zucconi and Silvia Ioli, Parchi Val di Cornia (Livorno) - In the workshop of the Etruscan goldsmith: embossing of metal sheet
  • 3:30 PM-4:30 PM: Ginevra Gottardi, Manual Interactive Laboratory (Trento) - Learn the embossing technique on metal sheet: Bronze Age dagger.
  • 3:30 PM-4:30 PM: Renato Fasolo, Archeoland and Amelie Nottebohn (Verona) - Dressing the stele statues of the Alps. Workshop on weaving natural fibers
  • 3:30 PM-4:30 PM and 5:00 PM-6:00 PM: Luca Bedini, Miluca Experimental Archaeology (Modena) - Demonstration of the production of vessels on the Greco-Roman lathe
  • 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM: Legio XII Fulminata (Cesena, Arezzo) - The world of gladiators in ancient Rome: combat demonstrations, exhibition of reproduction archaeological artifacts
  • 3:30 PM-6:30 PM: Cultural Association Friends of Luni (La Spezia) - Lunensia: scenes of life in ancient Luni: the tabernae canistraria, musivaria, and textrina. Workshop for making baskets, mosaics, and weaving (4:00 PM-5:00 PM weaving workshop, 5:00 PM-6:00 PM mosaic workshop, 6:00 PM-7:00 PM weaving workshop)
  • 4:00 PM-5:00 PM and 5:30 PM-6:30 PM: Sara Lenzoni and Gianfranco Berghich (La Spezia) – Romans in red... and green: Workshop to experiment with dyeing fabrics with madder, weld, walnut husk, and cochineal
  • 4:00 PM-5:00 PM and 5:30 PM-6:30 PM: Alessandro Filippi and Valerio Simini (La Spezia) – When the Romans stamped their feet. Let's make a scabellum: the sound sandal used by Roman musicians to keep time during their performances
  • 4:00 PM-5:00 PM and 6:00 PM-7:00 PM: Samuela Raffaelli and Marta Ragnoli (La Spezia) – Archaeologist for a day. Experience the profession of archaeological excavation
  • 4:00 PM-5:00 PM and 6:00 PM-7:00 PM: Anna Rozzi and Greta Bonati (La Spezia) – Children, Romans, fellow citizens... We are here to bury Caesar. Let's reconstruct Caesar's funeral bed
  • 4:00 PM-5:00 PM: Legio XII Fulminata (Cesena, Arezzo) – Pastimes in ancient Rome: board games
  • 4:00 PM-5:30 PM: Vincent Lascour, Chalcophore Association (Corsica) – Bronze Age craftsmen: demonstration of obsidian knapping and steatite processing
  • 4:30 PM-5:30 PM: Riccardo Chessa, Albori archaeological park (Grosseto) - Workshop for making arrowheads in flint and stone bracers
  • 4:30 PM-5:00 PM and 5:30 PM-6:00 PM: Antonio Motta, science communicator (Massa Carrara) – Sounds and musical instruments in Prehistory
  • 4:30 PM-5:30 PM and 6:00 PM-7:00 PM: Sara Piva (La Spezia) - The Eye of Ra. Let's make ancient Egyptian amulets
  • 4:30 PM-6:00 PM: Mauro Viegi and Claudio Pratelli, Brigata del Tasso (Pisa) - The bow: origins, construction techniques, and materials. Practical shooting tests
  • 4:30 PM-6:00 PM: Maila Bernardini (La Spezia) - Signs on the skin: communicating with the body. Celtic tattoos with henna
  • 5:00 PM-7:00 PM: Giorgio and Roberto Giannotti (La Spezia) - Discovering the cave. Immersive experience in Prehistory
  • 6:00 PM-6:30 PM: Vincent Lascour, Chalcophore Association (Corsica) – Bronze Age craftsmen: metal fusion

How to book:  

The entrance ticket costs 5 euros for one day; 8 euros for two days.
Family ticket for parents and children 15 euros for one day and 20 euros for two days; additional companion 2.50 euros per day.
The event will take place even in case of bad weather.
Pre-sale is active at the Castle Museum.

Info:  

  • Tel. 0187/751142 and 0187/727219
  • E-mail: sangiorgio.segreteria@comune.sp.it

Special thanks to Coop Liguria for their essential contribution and support.

E-mail

sangiorgio.segreteria@comune.sp.it

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