In September 2024, we visited Monte Viso in the Italian Alps on the trail of jadeite archaeology. During the late Neolithic period, this area was the source of stone material used to make wonderful axe blades that were widely distributed throughout Europe. The prehistoric sites were discovered by Annemarie and Pierre Petrequin, whose research has been published in two volumes on academia.edu: PETREQUIN P., CASSEN S., ERRERA M., KLASSEN L., SHERIDAN A. et PETREQUIN A.M. (ed.), 2012 - Jade. Grandes haches alpines du Néolithique européen. Ve et IVe millénaires av. J.-C. Besançon, Presses Universitaires de Franche-Comté et Centre de Recherche Archéologique de la Vallée de l'Ain.
We spent five days in the upper Po Valley and visited several sites where traces of Neolithic activity can still be seen. We realized that unfortunately some of the jadeite blocks have been destroyed in recent times, so that important geological monuments and archaeological sites are now lost.
