The 2010 campaign at Grotta Continenza (Trasacco, AQ) took place from 2nd-12th August.

The excavation of the deposit contained in quadrants 4-5-6-7/BB-CC-DD-EE-FF-GG, continued with the removal of the roof of level 26. In this level the patch of ash (26 ash) identified in the previous campaign, seemed to extend into quadrants 4-5-6 BB and CC. The edges of this layer were marked and then its removal began: here the deposit was compact, gravel free and grey in colour, turning to black towards the edges.

Below the grey level 26 the roof of level 26A began to appear in quadrants 4-5 BB-EE, which seemed to dip below a substantial accumulation of stones which occupied the strip 4-5 DD.
The hypothesis suggesting the situation revealed by the trench inside the grotto (strip of quadrants GG up to the wall) was completely different to that under excavation at present, gained strength. It is probably that the trench inside the grotto had already uncovered the roof of the paleolithic deposit.

In 6 DD-EE, at a depth of -423 cm, a further two ash patches appeared in quadrants 4-5 BB-EE perhaps relating to the emptying/cleaning of the hearths present near the entrance.

It was decided to record and remove the accumulation of stones present in quadrants 4-5 DD. As hypothesised this revealed the roof of level 26A which was uncovered across the rest of the excavation layer following the removal of the layer of ash.
Moreover, in order to check the correlation between the external and internal deposits of the grotto cleaning was undertaken in the strip of quadrants 7 DD/GG, where finally the roof of level 2, characterised by reddened stones in a black matrix, emerged across the entire area.

In 6 GG part of level 2 was removed below which emerged the stones already seen in the internal trench and belonging to level 2B/3. These probably relate to the final paleolithic occupation of the grotto.

Among the finds were a few scattered human skeletal remains (phalanges, teeth, a child’s rib, a cranium fragment), an abundance of micro and macro fauna and rare elements of lithic induatry (none of which diagnostic).