The excavations on the site of Podere Migliana are directed by Dr. Federico Cantini of the Dept. of Christian and Medieval Archaeology, Pisa University.
The research project aims to investigate an early medieval curtis owned by the bishop of Lucca, which 10th sources indicate was situated “in loco et fundo Quaraciano, hubi dicitur Miliano”.

Surface surveys undertaken between 2010-2011, identified Roman pottery and tile in the fields below the hill. Survey on top of the hill prior to the first excavation season found a large quantity of medieval imbrices scattered over an area of c. 1500 m2.
The first excavation campaign aimed towards gaining an understanding of the archaeological potential and extension of the settlement through the opening of 13 explorative trenches across the entire hill.

Almost all the trenches produced archaeological material at a depth varying between one and two metres below ground level. In particular trench 100, at the western edge of the rise, revealed the presence of a large wall, perhaps part of the curtain wall. The structure was built with stones and bricks directly on the bedrock that was cut and adapted to house them. Immediately to the east of the latter there were floor surfaces and probable middens relating to the medieval occupation of the area.

The other trenches produced the remains of rooms with sunken floors cut into the sandstone bedrock, earth walls faced with brick/tiles, and roofed with imbrices. One of these rooms, situated a short distance from the probable curtain wall, was excavated over a surface area of c. 30 m2. Inside it was a rock-cut silo more than 2 m deep and lined with a thin layer of clay.
During the survey, a production structure emerged to the west of the rise. Once cleaned this was interpreted as a tile/brick kiln probably used to produce the materials necessary for a restructuring of the settlement.

These first investigations suggest the existence of an upland village with a first occupation phase in the 13th century, as attested by the numerous ceramic finds, covering an area of at least 800 m2.
The archaeological remains seem to be those of the Scopeto castle, attested in the written sources from at least the beginning of the 11th century as the property of the Gherardeschi.
The finds suggest that the settlement was abandoned in the second half of the 13th century, while a later occupation dating to between the 15th and 16th centuries seemed to relate to the robbing of the settlement structures.