In 1951 during the reconstruction of the Romanesque parish church of S. Giulia, destroyed during the Second world War, situated on the summit of the Alpe di S. Giulia (932m a.s.l), Fernando Malavolti drew attention to the find of a bronze sword of late Bronze Age date (13th-beginning of the 12th century B.C.). This was identified by Vera Bianco Peroni as a sword of the Cetona Naue II type.

Shortly after it was consigned to the Superintendency, P. E. Arias and F. Malavolti ascertained the existence of an archaeological layer in the apse of the church, at a depth of circa one metre, containing fragments of carbonised wood and numerous pottery vessels that had been smashed on the spot. In 1994 several core samples taken near the apse by Andrea Cardarelli and Maurizio Cattani on behalf of the Museo Civico Archeologico Etnologico of Modena retraced the stratum noted by Malavolti.

Excavation campaigns were undertaken in November-December 2005 and June 2006.
The investigations identified, at a depth of between 80 and 110 cm below the present ground level outside the church, the residual part of a pit. This probably had a square plan with rounded eastern corner, parts of two sides (1.30 × 2.90m) were uncovered. The pit had a concave section, with a maximum recorded depth of circa 35 cm below the ancient ground level, and had been dug in a sterile substratum. Above a first level characterised by the presence of river cobbles, that had been intentionally thrown into the pit, was a layer (maximum depth 10 cm) containing abundant charcoal fragments and carbonised wooden elements of larger size (logs or planks), together with a notable quantity of pottery fragments. This layer was then intentionally covered by two further strata with a silt-clay matrix, characterised by a lesser quantity of anthropological evidence (maximum depth 50 cm).

The reconstructed pottery vessels are both open forms in fine impasto (carenated bowls or cups with pronounced neck and vertical grooves on the shoulder) and closed forms in coarse impasto (biconical vases or dolia with cordon decoration). All the finds can be attributed to a horizon of the late Bronze Age and are probably coeval with the Cetona type bronze sword found in 1951, which can thus be said to relate to this structure. The date has been confirmed by C14 dating (2968 ± 30 BP; 1260 – 1120 BC, 68.2% prob.; OxA 15778).
Unfortunately, because of the presence of the apses it was not possible to continue the excavation of the structure that had emerged, which should continue inside the church in the area of the apses and altar.

The complex of Alpe di S. Giulia would seem to refer to a ritual context, correlated to the site’s position on the summit of the watershed between the valleys of the Dragone and Rossenna torrents. The ritual was probably of the type which foresaw the use of a mountain summit and is attested in various forms in the alps during the late Bronze Age (Brandopferplaetze) and with less frequency in the central-northern Apennines.

The site is within an area that is particularly rich in Bronze Age finds, perhaps due to the existence of deposits of chalcopyrite and copper attested in the valley of the Dragone torrent, near Monte Modino. (Andrea Cardarelli, Gianluca Pellicani)