In June 2010 the second excavation campaign began, concentrating on the area defined in 2009, with the cleaning and preparation of the site. The excavation proper began on the 1st July and concluded on the 14th October with a visit by an ICOMAS inspector determined by the inclusion of Lucone as one of the candidate sites in the international “Alpine palafittes” series in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The excavation took place mainly in July and August, whilst in September recording of the timber structures was undertaken. The excavation strategy for 2010 was to bring all of Sector 1 into phase, from the moment that in 2009 research in the north-eastern area was abandoned due to lack of time and work force. The main characteristic of this zone was the presence of two large “accumulations” of dumped material with a particularly complex stratigraphy. This, perhaps inappropriate term, is used to indicate a number of elongated structures on an east-west alignment, comprising various lenses, often clearly definable dumps of different types of materias. It is uncertain what these structures were, as their characteristics suggest a more complex interpretation than simple dumps. For this reason the excavation of these structures was undertaken in a particularly meticulous way and numerous samples were taken for thin-section, pollen and anthracological analyses.

The two cumuliform structures are indicated as US 84, that to the north, and US 88, that to the south, partially excavated in 2009.

Dump US 84 occupied all of the northern part of the extension to the west of the 2009 trench, almost reaching the other dump identified in 2006 (US 10). It comprised a number of diverse lenses, partially overlying each other and sometimes intermingling/running into each other. A sort of horizontal stratigraphy was noted, with the earliest lenses positioned in the easternmost part of the structure, that is closest to the bank of the ancient lake.

The southernmost accumulation (US 88) presented a similar, but simpler structure. The excavation is yet to be completed, as it was decided to preserve a baulk for two reasons. Firstly, for didactic purposes, in order to show the structure of a dump, also in view of the UNESCO inspection. Secondly, part of the heap was preserved for geomorphological analyses aiming towards a reconstruction of how the single elements within the structure were formed.

The other situation regarded the areas free of dumps, where various layers of silt were present, containing greater or lesser quantities of plant fibres, which had accumulated around the large phase two dumps. As this deposition in an environment with alternating dry and wet periods was gradual and continuous during the growth of the accumulations through the dumps comprising them, the external levels often intermingle with the lenses of the dumps making reading of the stratigraphy very complicated. Numerous vertical timber elements have now appeared across the entire excavation area. These have been recorded and inserted into the excavation database.

The excavation of the archaeological levels of Lucone as usual produced a large amount of finds in a good state of preservation. These were mainly pottery but also various artefacts in bone-horn, faience, flint, stone, metal and wood.