MONACO NEIGHBOURHOOD
Panorama of the Site : Caves of Florestano and Caviglione – Balzi Rossi , Italy
© Museo Preistorico dei Balzi Rossi
BALZI ROSSI :
A ‘ PALAEOLITHIC PARK ’ TWO STEPS FROM MONACO TELLS ABOUT THE DAWN OF HUMANKIND
By Maurizio Abbati
An extraordinary strip of land in between Italy and France has remained almost unchanged for millions of years , nestled by a rocky wall of Upper-Jurassic dolomitic limestone about 100 metres high overlooking a mirror-of-emerald strip of the Mediterranean , in the proximity of Italy . This site called Balzi Rossi is also in the vicinity of Monaco and is named after the ochre colour of its cliffs . It is one of the most famous Palaeolithic sites in Europe , representing a relevant ‘ monument ’ of human history for experts on prehistory . This place was first mentioned by the naturalist Horace-Bénédict de Saussure at the end of the eighteen century . It took on great importance , starting from the first half of the nineteenth century on the impulse of the Grimaldi Family whose territory extended as far as Menton until 1848 . A treasure of knowledge , made of twelve sites , it has been preserved for us despite some damage caused by the new railway line construction and Second World War bombing .
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