Arene Candide

About

The Arene Candide, (Italian: Caverna delle Arene Candide, lit. 'Cavern of the White Sands') is an archaeological site in Finale Ligure, Liguria, Italy. Its name was derived from the eponymous dune of white sand (arena candida) that could be found at the base of the cliff until the 1920s in the Caprazoppa promontory, where the Arene Candide cave is located. The cave is situated at 90 m (300 ft) above sea level on the upper margin of the former Ghigliazza stone quarry and has three wide openings that point towards the sea. Thanks to its position and to those openings the cave is well lit and relatively dry. It can be accessed from above within 30 minutes via a path from Borgio Verezzi.

History: The cave is locally known as Grotta dei Frati or Armassa, and received its popular name in 1864, when Arturo Issel visited it, who was the first in a long series of archaeologists and geologists and researchers. The Arene Candide gained international attention after the excavation campaigns in the years 1940 to 1942 and 1948 to 1950 in the south-eastern part of the cave, led by Luigi Bernabò Brea and Luigi Cardini. Their excavation brought a detailed stratigraphic sequence to light, that...