At the very end of the western Ligurian Riviera a bone fragment belonging to a pre-neanderthal adult woman
At Balzi Rossi, at the very end of the western Ligurian Riviera, a few steps from the French border at the Ponte San Ludovico pass, on the slope overlooking the sea, are the entrances to the Balzi Rossi cave complex. The name derives from the colour of the limestone walls, which appear reddish due to the presence of oxidised iron minerals. The complex consists of numerous caves and shelters. It has been inhabited and frequented by our ancestors on several occasions and today represents one of the largest sites in Europe with prehistoric remains.
In the Grotta del Principe, a bone fragment belonging to a pre-neanderthal adult woman walking upright has been found, one of the oldest human fragments discovered in Italy. In the Barma Grande, the Triple Burial was found: skeletons of an adult, a young man and a child belonging to the Cro-Magnon race. There are guided tours lasting about two hours, a visit to the ethnographic museum and finally, why not, if it is summer, a swim in the small Balzi Rossi beach.