The excavations undertaken between 2017 and 2018 at the abbey of San Pietro at Crapolla investigated the church sacristy and some parts of the claustrum (fig. 1).

In 2017, a trial trench was opened in the sacristy (trench 1) that revealed three floor levels belonging to various phases of rebuilding. The second area of investigation was the south-western sector of the claustrum where trench 2 was opened, its position determined by the results of a georadar survey, which picked up some anomalies. A wall on an E-W alignment was identified that rested on the outcropping rock. Lastly, cleaning was undertaken in the area behind the church built in 1949, which uncovered a tower that was perfectly inserted between the claustrum and the church, forming a link between these two structures.

In 2018, work continued in trench 2, extending the area by 4 × 4 m. In addition to further defining the wall identified in 2017, the floor level was reached below two layers of collapse. It was also possible to examine the make-ups and identify a pre-existing floor surface.
Lastly, trench 5 was opened in the area in front of the tower, which revealed a complex stratigraphy. A thick layer of soil incorporating stones from the tower’s collapse and abundant jumbled ceramics covered, at c. 1.80 m below present ground level, a cut on a NW/SE alignment that suggested the presence of a long drainage channel leading towards the sea, which pre-dated the construction of the tower itself.