The aim of this season’s research was to extend the area opened in previous campaigns (2015-2016) on the west side of the “great oak”, at the centre of the Bosco dei Fontanassi, in order to identify the palaeo-ground surface with traces of the prehistoric settlement of the site. An open area excavation was carried out using a grid with 50 cm squares. Each visible find was spatially positioned during the excavation, while all of the sediment, collected by squares, and was dry sieved to recover the smaller finds.
The excavated sequence confirmed what was documented in 2015-2016 and was constituted by three layers: US 5, an organic horizon, rich in macro plant remains, corresponding with the surface layer; US 6, a silt loam horizon with organic material, a skeleton of small cobblestones and calcareous concretions (alteration of US 8 or thin alluvial deposit later than US 8), and US 8, clay-silt layer, incorporating a coarser fraction of the fine sand, yellowish-grey in colour and containing calcinelli (molluscs), datable to the last Glacial Maximum.
During the 2017 season, the excavation of US 8 was completed in the quadrants left unexcavated in 2016 (QQ. F-G/12-14) and a new area of 5.25 m2 was opened (QQ. D-E13-21) adjacent to last years. The stratigraphy described above was removed to a depth of c. 35 cm, The presence of lithic artefacts was registered across the whole area starting in US 5/top of US 6, with a concentration between the base of US 6 and the top of US 8. Quadrants F9-11 were investigated in order to check the nature of the break in the stratigraphy identified along the southern edge of the excavation area in 2016. It was confirmed that this was a modern ditch running parallel to the lane providing access to the area. The negative interface denominated US 13 had a semicircular section and maximum depth of c. 80 cm; it cut into the top of US 6. The fill was formed by US 15 at the base (brownish clay-silt deposit) relating to its active phase and, at the top, by US 14 (yellowish sandy-silt matrix, hard to distinguish from US 6) corresponding with the filling of the ditch.

The 2017 excavations recovered over 1600 finds, half of which positioned with the total station. They are almost exclusively flint objects, with rare charcoal fragments, cobblestones (potential hammer stones), fragments of recent pottery, and brick (US 5 and 6), modern coins (US 14) and shotgun cartridges (US 15).

Among the most diagnostic finds for the main occupation phase of the site, the recent Mesolithic period (Castelnovian facies), are trapezoids, long scrapers, a flaked nucleus and numerous flakes knapped using the pressure technique. Other lithic elements could date to an earlier occupation, during the early Mesolithic (Sauveterrian facies).