The excavation, begun in 2004 and still in progress, brought to light the ancient parish church of S, Pietro in Pava, built between the end of the 5th and beginning of the 6th century. In this first phase the dimensions of the monument were notable (33 m in length) but gradually diminished during subsequent phases as the structure underwent substantial restructuring and modification (7th-10th century). The building finally collapsed in the 12th century.

Archival evidence existed for the great church, in fact the parish church of S. Pietro in Pava was cited in several very important 8th century (714-715) documents. These related to an age-old dispute between the bishops of Arezzo and Siena over the possession of a number of parishes situated on boundaries. Therefore, the existence of this church was known, as was it known that in 715 it was a baptisterium, that is a baptismal church: a parish church. However, its precise location was unknown. The first excavation campaign identified a vast cemetery area which developed around the church. Neither the chronological or spatial limits of the cemetery are known with precision, especially with regard to the first phase. The exception is the final phase which resulted as dating to the beginning of the 13th century (to date over 10 radio-carbon dates have been produced from skeletal samples showing the period of death to be between the end of the 10th and beginning of the 13th century). The sample uncovered between 2004 and 2008 comprised an extraordinary number of burials, circa 760, constituting an excellent study model, not only at a regional but also at a national and international level.