A journey through time across the geological eras

The Prehistory District

A place where time folds in on itself

Three geological eras in just 20 kilometres.

  • 240 million

    years

  • 3

    geological eras

  • 20 km

    that today hold the story of ages long past

THE STORY

Illustration of Besanosaurus

240 million years ago

This is the Triassic, and the Province of Varese lies beneath the sea — Monte San Giorgio included. On its slopes, in the spring of 1993, the fossil of Besanosaurus came to light: a marine reptile resembling a dolphin. Today it can be seen, along with many other fossils, at the Besano Fossil Museum →.

Glacier

12,000 years ago

By now the Province of Varese lies not under the sea but under ice. As the glacier retreats it leaves behind great blocks of rock — the so-called glacial erratics — scattered today across the hills between Bodio Lomnago and Mornago. The erratics tell us about the great glaciations of geological history; they also help us study our own past, for many of them bear carvings and symbols cut by prehistoric people for ritual purposes.

Illustration of the pile dwellings

4,000 years ago

The Varese area now looks much as it does today: rolling hills dotted with lakes. Along their shores, pile-dwelling settlements spring up and flourish — thirteen sites have been surveyed and mapped, and they remain key places for archaeological study and research. Most of what stood above the water has been lost, but the foundation piles survive on the lakebeds, preserved in the oxygen-free environment and still under study today.

RELIVE THE STORY FIRST-HAND

  • The Besano Museum

    Visit the Besano Fossil Museum and get up close to fossils from 240 million years ago

    Find out more →

  • The Erratic Boulders Trail

    Retrace the path carved by the ice and take part in the discovery experience we have created for you!

    coming soon

  • The pile dwellings of Bodio Lomnago

    Visit the NeoBodio Museum in Bodio Lomnago, home to a one-of-a-kind reconstruction of the huts.

    Find out more →
Aerial panoramic view of the NeoBodio Museum in Bodio Lomnago

The NeoBodio Museum of Bodio Lomnago

In the NeoBodio Museum will open in Bodio Lomnago, on the shores of Lake Varese: major archaeological finds recovered from the lakebed, a reconstruction of a pile-dwelling hut, and an immersive room screening never-before-seen footage of the pile-dwelling sites beneath the lakes of the Varese area.
DISCOVER THE MUSEUM →