On the trail of the ancient quarry workers: from Roman pozzolana to the perlite of Monte Alto

The Botanical Garden of Padua is offering for Saturday 3 October an excursion, "Following in the footsteps of the ancient quarrymen: from Roman pozzolana to the perlite of Monte Alto, leading through the Euganean Hills", to discover the traces left in the landscape by extractive activities and the relationship between the geological history of the area and the use of its resources.

The walking route begins at the Museum of Ancient Thermalism and the Territory in Montegrotto Terme, followed by a detour inside the park of Villa Draghi to visit the ancient quarry recently discovered by the research group of the project Geoarchaeology of Euganean Quarrying from Research to Valorization (EuQuGeA) of the University of Padua. The itinerary then continues until it reaches Monte Alto, a hill formed following an underwater eruption of rhyolitic lava. 

The excursion is led by Professor Michele Secco and Professor Caterina Previato, from the Department of Cultural Heritage of the University of Padua.

Participation in the guided excursion is free of charge, and includes coach transport and insurance cover. To take part, pre-registration is required (from 21 September).