Prato Mollo and Refuge
Prato Mollo: A Plateau That Tells Millennia
At 1,500 meters above sea level, on the southeast slope of Monte Aiona of Prato Mollo, one of the largest and shallowest peat-filled basins in the Ligurian Apennines. The plateau, about a kilometer from the mountain summit, holds silent traces of a distant past—a place where humans and nature have intertwined for millennia.
Prehistoric Evidence
Surface surveys have uncovered pedunculated and winged arrowheads dating to the Copper Age and Early Bronze Age, evidence of prehistoric hunters and shepherds visiting the area. These artifacts tell the story of communities well-acquainted with the land, using its natural resources for hunting and grazing, and actively shaping the landscape through their daily activities.
A Landscape Shaped by Fire
Multidisciplinary investigations revealed that the peat in the basin began accumulating only after the dense forest of Abies alba was thinned using controlled fires. Prehistoric hunters and shepherds created new pastures and grassy spaces, encouraging the growth of beech trees and transforming the plateau into a marsh where animals could drink. Over time, this wet environment accumulated peat, a testament to the interplay between human activity and environmental changes during the Copper Age.
A Landscape of Nature and History
Today, Prato Mollo is not just a peat basin but a natural and cultural archive: every inch of soil tells the story of humans shaping the landscape, creating spaces for life and subsistence in harmony with the mountain environment. Walking across its plains means retracing millennia of ecological and anthropogenic transformations, a meeting point of nature, history, and archaeology.
Sources
BAFFICO O., CRUISE G.M., MACPHAIL R.I., MAGGI R., NISBET R., 1987, Monte Aiona-Prato Mollo, in MELLI P., DEL LUCCHESE A., a cura di, Archeologia in Liguria III.1. Scavi e scoperte 1982-86. Preistoria e Protostoria., Genova, Soprintendenza Archeologica della Liguria, 57-66;
Del Lucchese A., Maggi R. (a cura di), Dal diaspro al bronzo. L’Età del Rame e l’Età del Bronzo in Liguria: 26 secoli di storia fra 36000 e 1000 anni avanti Cristo (Quaderni della Soprintendenza Archeologica della Liguria 5), Luna ed., La Spezia, 1998
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