An exhibition, a volume and a day of studies
to the (re)discovery of Roman Lovere

Three initiatives are planned in the coming weeks, promoted by the Municipality, by the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia and by the Tadini Academy, to rediscover the archaeological heritage of Lovere and its role between the 4th century AD, starting with the exhibition “Roman Lovere. From the treasure to the necropolis”, which will be presented to citizens on Thursday 22 February and which will be inaugurated on Saturday 2 March at the Tadini Atelier

LOVERE (BG) – The presentation of the “Lovere Romana” exhibition will be open to all on Thursday 22 February 2024. From the treasure to the necropolis”, which will be inaugurated on March 2nd at the Tadini Atelier, in Lovere. The mayor of Lovere Alex Pennacchio will speak at the public meeting, scheduled for 5pm in the Sala degli Affreschi of the Tadini Academy (free entrance from Piazza Garibaldi 5); Serena Solano, official of the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia and one of the curators of the exhibition; Cristina Longhi, official of the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia; Marco Albertario, director of the Tadini Academy of Lovere; Mariangela Piziali, coordinator of the PAD Network (Diffuse Archaeological Landscapes).

Mayor Alex Pennacchio states: «The exhibition was born from the desire of the municipal administration to bring back to Lovere some of the most precious finds discovered in the excavation campaigns that have followed one another over time, including jewellery, rings, furnishings and grave goods that tell the story of history of Roman Lovere and the people who settled there between the 1st and 4th centuries AD. The exhibition is the result of a long and intense collaborative effort between the Municipality of Lovere and the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Bergamo and Brescia, which I sincerely thank for the generous commitment and great expertise made available to this project . This important event constitutes a further, but not definitive, goal of a much larger project. The long and complex process will, in fact, find its culmination in the creation of a new archaeological museum, which will be able to guarantee adequately equipped exhibition spaces and capable of enhancing the immense heritage currently not accessible to the public. I invite all citizens and visitors not to miss this unique opportunity to discover and appreciate our extraordinary archaeological heritage.”

Organized by the Municipality of Lovere in collaboration with the Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia and the Tadini Onlus Academy of Fine Arts Foundation and with the contribution of the Montano dell’Oglio Catchment Basin Consortium, the exhibition aims to illustrate , through the exhibition of some significant grave goods brought to light thanks to the excavation of the necropolis discovered in the Valvendra area, the important role of Lovere in Roman times, when the territory gravitated towards Valle Camonica. From an initial condition of semi-dependence on Brescia, the Valley quickly passed to Civitas and then to res publica. The legal, political and administrative center was Cividate Camuno, a true Roman city with monumental buildings and public spaces of which the baths, the forum and the entertainment buildings district with a theater and an amphitheater were partially excavated and enhanced. Lovere was not a city, but it could be considered a settlement with an administrative apparatus just like a vicus or, more likely, an emporium, a sort of offshoot and southern outpost of the Civitas Camunnorum. The centre, located in a strategic position at the head of Lake Iseo, had to perform a function of emporium and connection of commercial and cultural contacts between Sebino, Val Borlezza, Val Cavallina and Val Camonica. To date, no trace of Roman Lovere has been identified, with the exception of two inscriptions dedicated to Minerva found near the monastery of San Maurizio. It is, therefore, the vast necropolis that emerged since the beginning of the nineteenth century along the current Martinoli and Gobetti streets that bear witness to the richness and importance of Lovere. As usual in the Roman world, the necropolis developed outside the town, along the road connecting to Valle Camonica. It was organized into large masonry funerary enclosures, which demarcated spaces reserved for family or collegiate groups. Archaeological investigations have identified at least six. The high number of tombs and the characteristics of the grave goods demonstrate the prolonged continuity of use of the area, from the 1st to the 4th century AD.

The exhibition “Roman Lovere. From the treasure to the necropolis” will be open to visitors, free of charge, until next June 2 (Friday and Saturday from 3pm to 7pm; Sunday and holidays from 10am to 12pm and from 3pm to 7pm), but other important events are on the agenda in the coming years. weeks: on Saturday 16 March, in the Hall of Frescoes of the Tadini Academy (at 5pm), the volume “The Roman necropolis of Lovere (BG): a community on the banks of the Sebino” will be presented, edited by Maria Fortunati, former official archaeologist of the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia; finally, on Saturday 6 April, in the same venue, the study day entitled “And of the dark death at the pass go” will take place, organized by the PAD-Diffuse Archaeological Landscapes Network, during which the speakers will discuss the theme of death and on rituals, symbols and beliefs that cross space and time from an archaeological, historical-artistic and social point of view. At the end of the work, a round table will be held in which the topics debated during the study day will be addressed from an anthropological point of view.