The fortified settlement of Monte Caslè was identified in 1883 by Vincenzo Barelli and the American scholar James B. Andrews. In 1906 it was excavated by Antonio Magni and E. Berta who discovered an imposing dry stone wall and square hut bottoms, with sides of circa 4m, bounded by smaller scale dry stone walls, preserved to a height of circa 40cm. Three trenches were dug on the Mount during World War I and later it underwent large scale reforestation and planting of conifers. Excavations were undertaken by the Soprintendenza in 1952 (Nevio Grassi) and in 1986 by the Archaeological Museum of Como. The research by Como Museum began again in 2004, with the concession of the Ministero per I Beni e le Attività Culturali. At present the research project foresees the re-systematization of the plant cover, planimetric survey, stratigraphic excavation with the analysis of the finds, consolidation of the remains found and the planning of a visitors route for the public. The first two excavation campaigns uncovered as much of the defensive wall as possible (visible for a length of over 50m) and the perimeter of the archaeological area was established. A large amount of pottery emerged both from deposits of dumped material and at various points in the wall, which perhaps attests the continuous rebuilding of the dry stone structure. In the area of the pond, which had dried up due to climactic and geomorphological changes and constituted an archive of the history of vegetation in the valley, boring was undertaken to check the archaeology and core samples were taken for ecological research (vegetal remains, macroscopic carbonised wood, pollen, diatoms etc). (Marina Uboldi, Roberto Caimi)

In 2009 the sixth excavation campaign took place at Caslè di Ramponio. The investigations on the site, long known for its archaeological potential, were coordinated by the “P.Giovio” Archaeological Museum of Como in collaboration with the University of Insubria. Excavations undertaken to date aimed towards uncovering as much as possible of the wall surrounding the fortified prehistoric settlement, today visible for a length of circa 80 m. The open area stratigraphic excavation covered circa 250 m2. The results were immediately of great interest, even though the data is preliminary, as the excavation of occupation levels and the finds study have yet to be completed. The dating of the site is based on the pottery collected and the structures. In fact, most of the materials can be attributed to the final phase of the Bronze Age, with some elements which seem to attest continuity of the settlement into the early Iron Age. _Summit_ On the summit the stratigraphy against the curtain wall was characterised by layers of collapse partially covering occupation levels which were difficult to interpret, also due to recent disturbance. A number of badly preserved dry-stone walls belonging to structures/huts were uncovered. The stratigraphic sequence showed diverse construction phases, in particular the construction of the great perimeter of the fortified settlement and the interventions on the hill’s morphology prior to the laying out of the settlement. Following this reclamation a number of structures (low walls) were built to delimit the residential area and huts were built in an area that was partially sunken with respect to the external bordering zones. The long life of the settlement produced small but substantial modifications to the structures that were easily recognisable in the stratigraphy, in particular in the south-eastern sector south-east of the erratic boulder. Here several walls rested on levels of abandonment/dump which in turn overlay the first settlement phases. Finally, the site’s abandonment was characterised by an extensive collapse of the walls, disturbed over the centuries by agriculture and interventions undertaken during the First World War, when the area became part of the fortifications on the northern borders of Lombardy known as the “linea Cadorna”. _The “della Bolla” boulder with cup marks_ The investigation was also extended to an area situated about one hundred metres south-west of the small basin which collects rain water known as the Bolla del Caslè, on a natural terrace where an erratic boulder worked with numerous cup-marks is situated. The stratigraphy revealed levels rich in charcoal and with occasional fragments of impasto pottery with coarse inclusions. Within the layer there was also a fragment of stone that was retouched around the edges, probably the upper part of a stele. On the basis of these elements it may be suggested that this stratigraphy extends the chronological arc of the occupation of Caslè di Ramponio into the Copper Age. A first chronological confirmation in this sense was provided by the C14 dating of the charcoal remains. _Project for the valorisation of the archaeological area_ The collaboration established with local agencies and environmental protection bodies has led to the formulation of a project for the valorisation the area and recovery of the environment promoted by the Municipal Administration of Ramponio Verna and using funds from the Lombardy Region (LR n. 39/1984). Reforesting and reorganisation of the area around the entrance to the Caslè were undertaken, including fencing off the archaeological areas and the positioning of outdoor furniture. Panels were also put in place which illustrate the archaeological and historical data which has emerged to date.