CASIE STUDIES
Two sites have been chosen as pilot areas for the INSITE project; both have a unique character that defines the entire territorial system in which the geopaleontological heritage is embedded.
PIETRAROJA FOSSIL PARK
Located in the municipality of Pietraroja, in the province of Benevento, this geopaleontological site is known as the place where the fossil of Scipionyx samniticus, a theropod dinosaur from the Cretaceous period (about 110 million years ago), was found, preserving its entire digestive system intact. The park also contains other fossil discoveries of marine fauna that help to understand the composition of the environment from millions of years ago.
“CIAMPATE DEL DIAVOLO”
An ichnosite located in the municipality of Tora e Piccilli, in the province of Caserta, on the northeastern slopes of the extinct Roccamonfina volcano. The site preserves elements that allow for behavioral and structural evaluations of Middle Pleistocene hominins (about 350,000 years ago), which have not been found elsewhere. The presence of footprints from various parts of the human body (bare feet, hands, calves, ankles, buttocks) tracing a path in the rock prompts investigations into the reasons for the movements of human and animal groups (predators and prey) in a location near an active volcano. The two pilot areas have significant scientific value, covering a range of thematic fields: paleoanthropological, geological, archaeological, paleoenvironmental, paleoecological, volcanological, geophysical, urban, and territorial. In addition to their immense scientific value, these sites share the lack of a thorough valorization project capable of triggering virtuous processes of territorial development and sustainable land use. INSITE aims to broaden the scope of interest around these areas within a global framework of territorial redevelopment.