Helping preserve Tuscany's Ancient Roman Coast, Italy

Help save an almost forgotten treasure trove of ancient Roman culture and enrich Tuscany’s archaeological heritage as you join Dr. Andrea Camilli, Dr. Giandomenico De Tommaso, Dr. Carolina Megale, Dr. Francesco Ghizzani Marcia, and Luciano Giannoni. You’ll excavate the Roman maritime settlement of Poggio del Molino, collect organic samples with a palaeobotanist, document all finds and survey the area surrounding the dig site to clean, collect and document artifacts such as pottery shards, fresco, metal, mosaic, and coins.

Your accommodation will be in simple-but-comfortable apartments in the quiet village of Populonia Station, about 5km from the site. The apartments feature modern furnishings, electricity, gas heat, kitchen facilities, beds, flush toilets, hot showers and internet access.

Project staff and volunteers will help themselves to breakfast. Project staff will prepare lunches and dinner every day and volunteers will be asked to help cleaning up. You will have many opportunities to enjoy local wines, desserts and other culinary treats as well as traditional cultural events and festivals, depending on the season.

The site is located in lush green landscape overlooking the sea where the Mediterranean vegetation is particularly diverse in species, form and colour. You will also be near to the wood-covered Natural Park of Montioni’s Hills as well as the Coastal Park of Sterpaia, which has a highly-prized and rare humid forest, once typical of the landscape of the ancient coast of the Maremma. An important bird and amphibian reserve, Orti Bottagone, is also in close proximity. In Populonia’s own Parco Archeologico di Baratti, there is a famous Etruscan necropolis of monumental tomb mounds, with acropolis temples and a sacred complex, probably dedicated to Venus.

Detailed Itinerary:

Itinerary for 6 and 13 Day Teams:

Day 1
Meet team and travel to accommodation (about an hour and a half from Pisa, about 15 minutes from Campiglia). Welcome and Health and Safety Briefing.

Days 2–6
Health and Safety Briefing update and work on site. Excavation, survey, and other research tasks as detailed above. Departure and drop off at Pisa Airport or station Campiglia Marittima (LI) for volunteers joining for 6 days.

Continuation of Itinerary for 13 Day Teams:

Day 7
Recreational Day: visit to Ancient Populonia

Days 8–12
Health and Safety Briefing update and work on site. Excavation, survey, and other research tasks as detailed above.

Day 13
Tidy up, departure, and drop off at Pisa Airport or station Campiglia Marittima (LI).

During the expedition, there will also be lectures about the research and the methodology such as a presentation on the Stratigraphic Method. These may take place in the evening or during the working day.

Is this trip for you?
Volunteers will be involved in excavation and the recording and analysis of data at the site in order to help the research staff to reconstruct the area’s complex past as fully as possible. Research will employ relevant archaeological disciplines (Etruscan and Roman archaeology, medieval archaeology, history of production, history of ancient architecture, history of ancient landscapes, history of ancient trade, theory and techniques of conservation in archaeology, landscape survey, geology, bioarchaeology, and palaeoanthropology) to reconstruct these historical and economic contexts.

Volunteers must have a basic level of fitness to take part in this project. As a measure of fitness, you should be able to walk up to three miles a day in warm/hot weather, have good dexterity and balance, be able to do a lot of bending and kneeling, and be able to tolerate heat well.