History

Pending cards monographs on various historical periods, we offer this overview dream that blends together past and present.

The Tunnel of Torricelle: a dream of preventive archeology
George Chelidonio

A few months ago, perhaps for a good Amarone drunk the night before talking of possible irreversible effects that the "tunnel of Torricelle" could produce, I dreamed of huge bulldozers that opened wide trench Valpantena, making sand and gravel surfacing of the Adige and discovering the foundations of ancient Roman villa rustica. As the excavation proceeded towards the hill emerged a complex stratigraphy of red clay layers alternating with brown-black. And those bones sticking layers of prehistoric animals and traces of hearths lit more than 10,000 years ago in the camps of the last prehistoric hunters.
Then, in the dream, the images dissolve, becoming the sound of mega-diggers who pierced the rock, tearing marine fossils and kneading the "tuff" of the hill with blacks submarine volcanic basalts of the chimneys of 30-40 million years ago, before such an outcome Verona enlightened administrators decided to create a "tunnel geological, parallel to the tunnel. It thus creating a pathway through to the very origins of the mountains of Verona, a journey in marine sediments of the time fish Bolca, a cultural resource is probably unique in its kind (and that can present itself in synergy with the collections preserved at the Museum of Natural History). As in a video-animation excavation proceeded slowly while already created this gallery for future visitors, when a light pierced the bottom of it by showing the profile of Mount Ongarin: on the sides of the trench, now surfaced at the valley of Avesa is opened stratigraphies similar to those seen in the first Valpantena. From one of the deepest layers of blackish clay (the trench reaches almost 15 meters) long emerged mammoth tusks, mixed with stone artifacts left by hunters Neanderthals, probably the same ones (about 50 million years ago) had placed their seasonal hunting camps above Avesa (found 50 years ago in the shelters under the Vajo Gallina). And the trench proceeded more slowly westward at a rate of excavations necessary to recover the large amount and complexity of objects and information, and administrators Verona, happily surprised by many findings, decided to carry out, at the planned motorway, a new local museum, which incorporated the "gallery geologic" first staged.
Only in a dream many years can pass in the short time dream, and with them went by administrators and archaeologists, but the new (elected officials and technicians) charged with enthusiasm by increasing public success of the two new cultural achievements, were to continue the excavation of the trench ( more money to be able to make the covered road, 4 lanes) towards the valley of Quinzano.
Further west, the succession of layers of sand and gravel left dall'Adige prehistoric clay interspersed with deeper levels: below the layer of rustic Roman villas (built on the edge of the consular road Claudia Augusta), became more frequent findings of prehistoric vessels (sometimes even intact) left behind by farmers who, between 3,000 and 5,000 years ago, had first made crop fields along the left bank of the Adige old (made fertile silt from the applicants' post-glacial floods). At one point, while the profile of San Bobbin, it is closer to the pace, slow and meticulous archaeological work, the layers placed at 4-5 meters below the surface began to emerge, more and more, the first post holes and then burials huddled skeletons (with rich funeral) was resurfacing the village and the necropolis of the first farmers Verona. Pieralberto Angela (conductor of the famous TV show "Quark 2050) hastened to dedicate a whole series of episodes in these new discoveries, made famous by the now well established reputation of the findings of Poiano Aves.
But during one of these shots from the deepest layers of the trench revealed ..... Quinzano man, a large group of tombs of "Homo Veronensis" dating back at least 200 (maybe 300) thousand years ago: the "first of Verona" had been placed within circles of stones, accompanied by the flint artefacts and bone of an elephant. The remains of hippos, lions, cave, cave bears and deer were still great to emerge as the trench exceeded the church of San Rocco, where the landscape was, meanwhile, properly valued as evidence of medieval Verona outside the city.
Discovery after discovery, the excavation of the "tunnel" had become the largest Italian archaeological site, and its results (and resulting outputs) were now the envy of the Archeology of preventive programs that France had already begun systematically (from 70s of twentieth century) on all highway sections under construction. I (and dream) we were rewarded with great satisfaction now archaeological administration, but how many decades had passed? He had not yet crossed the path of State Parona when the excavation revealed a long stretch of the original pavement of the Via Claudia Augusta, supported from the aqueduct that brought water 2000 years ago of the sources of Parona and Novare Verona in Rome. So it was that it was decided to move the path, both the old state that the new allacciante, in order to preserve this precious piece of ancient history, in short a new tram line (now moved to PV) directly connected with the Arena new archaeological site, further multiplying the tours and job guides Verona.
Perhaps because, even in the dream, I began to realize that by now hundred years old, I was going to wake up when a new layer which is not very deep brought out the foundation of a great medieval curtis: bearing signs of a sudden collapse and the walls were more fractured points, that is broken by the movement of a strong earthquake. Holding on to the latest images of the dream, I attended a conference of seismologists gathered to discuss the discovery of traces of the earthquake in Verona in January 1117, a series of shocks (including the 7.8 degree Richter scale) that almost razed to the ground buildings and city walls.
In the dream, the meeting was concluded by affirming the urgent need to Verona to buildings (old and new) all the attention and reinforcement to ensure that the seismogenic structure (buried between the Adige and the foothills and the estimated effects occur every 1000 years approximately) would not come back yet to produce serious damage to buildings and to Verona.
Dreams, I have not had time to see opening of the new bridge over the expected from the original design of the tunnel, but the latest images vanished on an orderly flow of vehicles (with no visible emissions and smell, and therefore, hydrogen or solar panels ?) and bicycles (on good bike paths bordered by green), while the voice of the future mayor of Verona (arcicigno presented not as "mayor" but as "first citizen") vanished: the tunnel had been opened but only as allacciante north for local traffic, adding that heavy traffic was diverted along rail transport is now north-south and east-west.
The dream (and my own special screening of increased life) was now finished. While the revival and the "pessimism of reason" began to diminish those splendid scenery of Verona became a capital of European culture (rather than increasingly beleaguered tourist megalopolis smog) a final "under" off-repeated conviction: "Although last decades, the excavation of the so-called tunnel Torricelle will be the biggest opportunity to learn about and bring centuries of history Verona 3000 overlooking the banks of the Adige!