The Polesini cave is in the municipality of Tivoli, near the river Aniene and not far from Ponte Lucano. It was discovered in 1953 by the archaeologist Antonio Mario Radmilli, who named it in honour of Marquis Francesco Polesini of Parenzo in Istria.
What to see
The finds have shown that the cave was inhabited between twelve and ten thousand years ago, at the end of the Palaeolithic. Excavations brought to light many fragments of animal bones, above all of deer and wild boar, human remains belonging to about fourteen individuals and objects engraved with figures of animals.
These very engravings are considered significant examples of Palaeolithic art: the cave is one of the sites documenting the oldest art in Lazio.
Visiting
The sources consulted do not say whether the cave is open to the public or how to reach it: check before going.
Our editors' tip
The cave's Palaeolithic engravings are displayed in a dedicated section of the Luigi Pigorini National Prehistoric and Ethnographic Museum, in the EUR district of Rome. The account of the excavations is in Radmilli's own book, «Gli scavi nella grotta Polesini a Ponte Lucano di Tivoli e la più antica arte nel Lazio», of 1974.
