Parma, Casouri, an ancient settlement mentioned in historical sources, officially found

Casouri (also known as “Casalauri”), a habitation mentioned in historical sources as plausibly located in the area of Ravadese, in the Parmense region, has been officially found. Therefore, its existence was known but no one had ever managed to find it.The discovery was made between 2022 and 2023 by the staff of the Reclamation Parmense, under the scientific direction of archaeologists Marco Podini (Superintendence of Parma and Piacenza) and the team of the company Abacus, in charge of the archaeological surveillance of the area. The official announcement was made today by the president of the Land Reclamation Consortium, Francesca Mantelli, during a meeting at the APE Parma Museo-the cultural and exhibition center of the Monteparma Foundation. Also crucial was the contribution of construction companies involved in the improvement and functional adaptation of irrigation pipelines in the Naviglio Canal district between Parma and Colorno.

“The relevant findings in the area of the ’Naviglio’ system further confirm how water has always played a strategic role in the development of the economic and social spheres of the territories and in the growth of the communities of citizens. I express my heartfelt thanks to all the consortium staff, to the companies involved in the construction site, to the Superintendence of Parma and Piacenza and to archaeologist Cristina Anghinetti who, with passion and expertise, has followed and supported us in this articulated journey,” said President Mantelli.

“The execution of the hydraulic works conducted by the Bonifica Parmense at the same time as surveillance activities and, in certain areas, real archaeological investigations in extension shows that it is possible to investigate, safeguard, and enhance without compromising or excessively delaying the realization of the work that occasioned its discovery: archaeological protection and land development are not necessarily two antithetical to irreconcilable concepts,” explained Maria Luisa Laddago, superintendent of Archaeology Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Parma and Piacenza.

“The archaeological surveillance conducted by crossing a large portion of the Parma territory, thanks to the intervention of securing the ’Naviglio’ system, has allowed us to uncover new clues on the development of this territory, for a chronological arc that from the punctual Iron Age finds reaches the present day: finds that tell us about the agricultural and housing transformation of this portion of the plain, in which man exploited the resources of cultivation and livestock breeding, arriving at producing enough surplus value to establish trade relations, also thanks to navigable canals, with distant territories,” added Cristina Anghinetti, Abacus archaeologist.

Filippo Fontana, ArcheoVea archaeologist, stressed, “The role of water, its regimentation and management, in the formation of the urban and suburban landscape of Parma represents a central theme in understanding the physiognomy of our territory. A long developed history between uses of water resources, as an engine of development, and the need to control the sometimes destructive force of water.”

Particularly engaging was the second part of the meeting, designed for a young audience: 70 students from the Liceo Artistico Statale “Paolo Toschi” (classes 4A Theater and 4A Architecture), the Istituto Tecnico Tecnologico “Camillo Rondani” (classes 4C and 5C), and the University of Parma (DUSIC Department, Classical Archaeology and Landscape Archaeology courses) had the opportunity to enjoy a unique educational experience, participating in an interactive lesson with archaeologists and observing the unearthed finds up close.

Parma, Casouri, an ancient settlement mentioned in historical sources, officially found

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