The site occupied an ancient alluvial terrace, used for agricultural purposes, at the confluence of two torrents the Asso and the Trove. The archaeological material found during survey suggested that the area was occupied from the 2nd century B.C. until the 4th century A.D. The presence of a religious building preceding the one that stands on the hill overlooking the archaeological area was confirmed by excavations in 2004. In 2005 the excavation was enlarged and uncovered most of the church, including the cemetery area and some outlying structures such as a kiln for pottery and bricks which was contemporary with the first church. The latest finds (2006), as well as defining the complete plan of the main church, revealed another complex made up of smaller structures which together formed a picture of a religious complex much richer than that hypothesised and which was not limited to the _pieve_. The finds from within the identified rooms, the most important being a small coin hoard of the mid 6th century, indicate a complex with much historical and archaeological inerest. The excavation concentrated on the area identified by the surveys as the richest in archaeological material (area 1000). This confirmed the existence, above an extensive Roman occupation which has yet to be defined, of an ecclesiastical complex founded between the end of the 5th and the first half of the 6th century. It survived with much restoration and internal re-organisation for the entire medieval period. It was possible to link the brick kiln found to the north of the church, datable to between the 7th and 8th centuries, to the use of the church. The church maintained its function until the beginning of the 11th century when it was completely reconstructed and its plan transformed. An analysis of the construction techniques used places it in the pre-Romanesque period, whilst its subsequent abandonment and collapse date to the 12th century.

The excavation, begun in 2004 and still in progress, brought to light the ancient parish church of S, Pietro in Pava, built between the end of the 5th and beginning of the 6th century. In this first phase the dimensions of the monument were notable (33 m in length) but gradually diminished during subsequent phases as the structure underwent substantial restructuring and modification (7th-10th century). The building finally collapsed in the 12th century. Archival evidence existed for the great church, in fact the parish church of S. Pietro in Pava was cited in several very important 8th century (714-715) documents. These related to an age-old dispute between the bishops of Arezzo and Siena over the possession of a number of parishes situated on boundaries. Therefore, the existence of this church was known, as was it known that in 715 it was a baptisterium, that is a baptismal church: a parish church. However, its precise location was unknown. The first excavation campaign identified a vast cemetery area which developed around the church. Neither the chronological or spatial limits of the cemetery are known with precision, especially with regard to the first phase. The exception is the final phase which resulted as dating to the beginning of the 13th century (to date over 10 radio-carbon dates have been produced from skeletal samples showing the period of death to be between the end of the 10th and beginning of the 13th century). The sample uncovered between 2004 and 2008 comprised an extraordinary number of burials, circa 760, constituting an excellent study model, not only at a regional but also at a national and international level.

The excavations show that the Early Christian church was founded between the end of the 5th and the beginning of the 6th century A.D. on top of pre-existing Roman structures which have yet to be defined. Among the most interesting characteristics of the church is the plan which had two apses, one to the east and one to the west. The structure was over 30 m long, the eastern apse enclosed a presbyterial bench which in turn surrounded the altar base. The function of the western apse was less clear. The nave divided it from an entrance, perhaps by a series of arches. Suggestions for its use vary from the cult of reliquaries to baptismal font. The most interesting elements from the site were found inside the western apse: a hoard of six gold and twenty rare silver coins of the Gothic period. Most of the parallels of Early Christian structures with facing apses come from the Mediterranean, in particular the Iberian peninsula and North Africa. Use of the church continued beyond the 6th century, in fact its use is documented until the 12th century. During the early medieval period the flooring and roof were renewed (the latter suggested by the find of a kiln only a few metres from the church), the western apse was closed by a small apse positioned within the nave. It seems plausible to date the collapse of the eastern apse to sometime during the 10th century. From that moment the church underwent a radical restructuring with the construction of a new façade and perhaps a change in its orientation. The church was abandoned and collapsed during the 12th century. The excavation of a vast cemetery area around the church began during the first campaign. By the end of the fourth campaign over 860 burials had been identified. Only one burial was situated inside the church, in a privileged position in front of the altar. This was an “a cassone” burial covered by a heavy travertine slab. Osteological analysis showed that the deceased was a male of circa 18-20 years of age who died in the second half of the 7th century A.D. (14C 650 +/- 688). The analyses also showed that the individual suffered from serious problems regarding limb development which may have caused difficulty with movement. The skeletal remains are still being studied by the Paleo-pathology Laboratory of Pisa University together with the remains from the entire cemetery at Pava.

La campagna di scavo 2016 si è concentrata nel settore III a sud della navata centrale della chiesa paleocristiana. L’area di scavo ha seguito la divisione in ambienti come individuato dalle campagne precedenti. L’ambiente A si trova di fronte a quella che è stata in origine l’entrata della chiesa. Si tratta di un ambiente quadrangolare dove sono stati rimossi gli ultimi strati pertinenti ad attività di cantiere pertinenti a due fasi diverse, la prima quella più antica alla trasformazione della villa tardoantica in chiesa e quelli successivi che hanno previsto la rimozione dei livelli pavimentali per le trasformazioni dell’edificio nelle fasi altomedievali. Tali stratigrafie sono risultate tagliate da una sepoltura in fossa terragna senza corredo che potrebbe, per confronto con una sepoltura con corredo di VII secolo d.C. scavata in questo ambiente nel 2012 essere assimilata allo stesso periodo. Lungo tutti i muri di questo ambiente sono emerse le tracce di murature parallele rasate di una fase precedente (quella della villa di IV secolo) che risultano abbandonate e affiancate o a volte coperte dalle nuove murature della chiesa che ne ricalcano quasi perfettamente il perimetro. Molto simile la stratigrafia individuata nell’ambiente B che si sviluppa longitudinalmente lungo la navata in direzione est. Anche qui sono state asportate le stratigrafie pertinenti ai cantieri mettendo in luce una pesante stratigrafia di riporto ascrivibile alla fase di V secolo quando la villa tardoantica viene trasformata in chiesa e vengono utilizzate le murature asportando i pavimenti per ancorarvi le murature della chiesa. Anche in questo ambiente è stata scavata una sepoltura che taglia non solo questi strati di riporto ma anche un tramezzo di divisione interno dell’ambiente. Le murature che definiscono questo ambiente (amb. B) risultano costruite parallelamente e in alcuni casi sovrapponendosi a quelle più antiche che ne ripercorrono il futuro andamento. Solo il tramezzo costruito utilizzando una tecnica a tegole disposte di piatto viene abbandonato e risulta coperto dagli arrossamenti degli strati del cantiere. In questa campagna i risultati più evidenti sono stati la messa in luce con chiarezza delle murature tardoantiche pertinenti alla fase di allungamento della villa che risultano già bene definite e presenti quindi tra fine IV e inizi V secolo d.C. La fase della chiesa quindi ripercorre una serie di ambienti già esistenti, ripercorrendone gli andamenti con un leggero scarto nelle dimensioni.