The presence of humans in the Cesclans hill is established from at least the early centuries of the Roman era. It’s impossible to tell what kind of settlement, whether residential, fortified, or religious, since only a few eloquent traces have been discovered. It may have lasted until the 3rd century AD.
Erected on the ruins of a monumental Roman tomb dating back to the 4th-5th century, the parish church of Santo Stefano, as we know it today, bears architectural traces dating back to the 8th-9th century. It is assumed that there was a fortified wall, on which residential and storage facilities rested.
In the Antiquarium below the church, rare archaeological finds are gathered and exhibited – the results of research that occurred during the restoration after the earthquake of 1976.
Photography by Ulderica Da Pozzo
