The pile-dwelling village
The reconstructed pile-dwelling village
Livelet is an open-air museum where you can experience a real journey through time, discovering the daily life in the Neolithic, Copper Age and Bronze Age.
The full-scale reproduction of three pile-dwellings allows visitors to explore daily life in a prehistoric village. Houses and tools are crafted using the same raw materials available in Prehistory, and are set in a stunning natural landscape.
Visit us for an experience suitable for all ages that engages all the senses.
The construction of the pile-dwelling village was made possible through extensive research from archaeological and anthropological sources, including the Colmaggiore di Tarzo archaeological site, other contemporary Alpine pile-dwelling sites, and ethnographic comparisons with populations that still use similar technologies.
The construction primarily used environmentally compatible materials consistent with archaeological findings from the area, such as chestnut, oak, hazel, and dogwood. For the load-bearing structures intended to remain submerged in water, larch was chosen due to its durability and resistance, despite not being native to the region. Local reeds were selected for the roofs and infill; the walls were then coated with a plaster made from a mixture of clay, straw, and sand, ensuring both protection and thermal insulation.
Further details
The archaeological site of Colmaggiore
Livelet open-air museum has been designed to enhance the discovery of the nearby site of Colmaggiore di Tarzo (TV), an area with significant archaeological findings. It is located at the isthmus between Lake Lago and Lake Santa Maria. It is the most important prehistoric wetland settlement known in Eastern Veneto.
Development of archaeological research
The first archaeological finds in the lake area date back to the 1920s, during the excavation of a canal connecting the two lake basins. In 1987, following peat extraction work, remains of dwellings were reported, as well as artifacts made of flint, bone, and ceramics. The Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Veneto promoted an initial survey campaign in 1989, followed by two excavation campaigns in 1992 and 1997 at what became known as the Colmaggiore di Tarzo archaeological site.
Research resumed between 2020 and 2023 with excavation campaigns led by the University of Ferrara as part of the ReLacus project at what has been called the pile-dwelling site of Lake San Giorgio and Lake Santa Maria.
Archaeological finds
The discovery of flint, greenstone, ceramic, and metal artifacts, along with remains of other craft activities, has made it possible to reconstruct the daily life of the pile-dwelling inhabitants. Remains of vertical pilings, burnt wooden fragments, planks, and ballasts have been interpreted as pile-dwelling foundations and reclamation traces. The discovery of animal bones, seeds, and other plant remains has provided insights into the diet and subsistence strategies of the inhabitants, as well as valuable information about the surrounding environment.
Dating
Based on ceramic finds, the earliest phases of settlement at the Colmaggiore site date back to the Late Neolithic, with subsequent occupations during the Copper Age and the early Bronze Age, therefore a period between the late 4th and early 2nd millennium BCE (approximately 4000-1500 BCE, or 6000-3500 years ago). The discovery of two Sauerbrunn-type bronze swords, dating to the Middle Bronze Age, and a Peschiera-type dagger from the Late Bronze Age suggests that the site continued to be frequented even after the abandonment of the pile-dwelling village.
The finds from the pile-dwelling site at the lakes of San Giorgio and Santa Maria are currently being studied and dated.
Bibliography
ARNOSTI G. e LONGO G., 1988, Il villaggio palafitticolo di Colmaggiore, Tarzo (TV) ai laghi di Revine, Quaderni del Gruppo Archeologico del Cenedese, Vittorio Veneto, 64 pp.
BIANCHIN CITTON E., 1992, Il sito umido di Colmaggiore di Tarzo, in Atti della XXIX Riunione Scientifica dell'Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria, Trieste, pp. 201-217.
BIANCHIN CITTON E., 1994, Il sito umido di Colmaggiore di Tarzo (TV): tutela di valorizzazione, in Il Flaminio (6), Vittorio Veneto, pp. 28-38.
