A few kilometers from the village of Parrano, the Devil’s Dens reveal a past of prehistoric settlements and artifacts, as well as magical yet mysterious rituals that continue to fascinate visitors of all ages. Especially since some of them remain unexplored.
In the Fosso del Bagno area, about 3.5 km from Parrano (Terni), the millennia-old action of water on the limestone rock has carved out eight karst cavities. Although still shrouded in mystery, they have provided important insights into the lives of the area’s first inhabitants. And by “first inhabitants,” we mean the Paleolithic populations who most likely practiced rituals—unknown to us—that involved breaking animal bones and burning grains of wheat and legumes.
So far, the degree of mystery surrounding the Devil’s Dens isn’t so unusual, considering the antiquity of these finds. Adding to the fascination are local legends about mysterious presences and unexplained phenomena, the discovery of some human bones, and the still-unfinished undertaking of exploring all eight karst cavities. Archaeologists have only studied the Lower Main Tana, the Upper Tana, the Tana del Faggio, and, recently, the Grotta dei Conoidi. The latter extends for over half a kilometer, with a complex system of tunnels and galleries that resemble a labyrinth, and large rooms reaching up to 20 meters in height. The alluvial fans that give the cave its name are nothing more than “slides” formed by the combined action of water and debris seeping into fractures in the rock.
Among the most significant finds inside the cave is a human hemimandible attributed to a woman aged approximately 18-20 years old, which is providing valuable genetic information thanks to studies conducted by the Ancient DNA Laboratory (aDNA Lab) at the University of Bologna. All the artifacts discovered in the Tane are now housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Perugia and the Parrano Territorial Documentation Center, located on the lower floor of the Sante De Sanctis Elementary School.
The exhibition is divided into four sections: one focuses on the geology of the area and the formation of the canyon onto which the Tane del Diavolo opens; the second covers the history of the archaeological excavations at the Tane and their findings, accompanied by a display of Upper Paleolithic and Bronze Age materials discovered there; the third focuses on the Etruscan tomb in Soriano, including several Orvieto Group vases (6th century BC) belonging to the grave goods; the fourth covers the history of the Parrano castrum from the Middle Ages to the present day, with reproductions of a series of archival documents, including some documents from the Statutum Castri Parrani, dating back to 1559.
