The pre-Roman necropolis of Mel in Borgo Valbelluna opens exceptionally to the public every Sunday in July and August from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and in conjunction with the openings of the church of the Addolorata in the center of Mel (Saturday, July 4 and Saturday, August 1) it will be possible to access and visit the state archaeological area that preserves the monumental burial ground of the Ancient Venetians.
A “city of the dead” among the oldest in Valbelluna and one of the few currently visitable in the entire Veneto region, rediscovered thanks to excavations that began in 1958, stands at the entrance to the village of Mel and allows us to understand how the Paleoveneti lived and what their economic and social structure was.
The approximately 80 tombs found are inserted within 7 circles made of sandstone slabs set vertically in the ground. The ashes of the deceased were placed in ceramic or bronze vessels along with some everyday objects inside polygonal boxes. Thus, a sort of family tomb was formed. The cremation vessels and all the objects that accompanied the burials - ornaments and tools - are displayed in the rooms of the Civic Archaeological Museum located in the Palazzo delle Contesse in the square of Mel.
The Ancient Venetians or Paleoveneti were an Indo-European population that arrived in northeastern Italy after the middle of the 2nd millennium B.C. Thanks to numerous archaeological excavations and related findings, the history and identity of this population have been reconstructed over the years. The Venetians initially settled in the area between Lake Garda and the Euganean Hills and later expanded to Adria (RO) to the south, and to the Tagliamento River to the east.
Free entry.