Excavations at Sesto Calende – Oratorio di San Vincenzo
Excavations at Sesto Calende, in the area of the ancient Oratory of San Vincenzo, are carried out as part of ArcheoMeMi’s research dedicated to reconstructing the ancient settlement patterns of the Basso Verbano area. The site is investigated under ministerial concession and lies on land owned by the Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, currently used by the agricultural cooperative Il Sole and managed by the Fondazione Patrimonio Ca’ Granda. The activities are supported by the Municipality of Sesto Calende, the Pro Sesto Calende association, and the Ticino Park Authority, while an essential role is played by the students of the University of Milan.
The 2024–2025 campaigns revealed a surprisingly rich archaeological landscape, confirming that the plateau was frequented continuously from the 2nd century BC to the Early Middle Ages. In the southern sector, a large monumental building was uncovered, probably constructed in the early Imperial period, characterized by rooms opening onto perimeter corridors and by an unexpected architectural complexity. The recovered materials — including black‑gloss ware, common pottery, and fragments of Roman artefacts — indicate a significant settlement, already suggested by earlier investigations but now documented much more clearly.
Further north, the excavations brought to light an Early Medieval apsidal building, datable between the 5th and 7th centuries AD, interpreted as a small place of worship that was never completed. The absence of collapse layers, together with the surviving foundations and postholes for scaffolding, confirms that the project was abandoned before construction was finished.
Another important outcome has been the expansion of our knowledge of the Late Antique and Early Medieval cemetery, with several east–west oriented stone‑cist tombs. Some feature carefully shaped stone‑slab covers, and one burial yielded a small iron cross, a precious testament to the funerary rituals of the period. Human remains are often only partially preserved due to soil acidity, but the funerary structures nonetheless allow us to understand the extent and organization of the burial area.
The investigations have also revealed Roman‑period floors, hydraulic conduits, and occupation layers, along with phases of spoliation and reuse that testify to the site’s transformation over the centuries. Geophysical prospections and geoarchaeological studies have confirmed the complexity of the area, showing how buildings, pathways, and open spaces were reorganized in different ways through time.
The excavations maintain a close relationship with the local community through guided tours, public‑facing outreach seminars held throughout the year, and initiatives dedicated to the town’s schools, all contributing to the appreciation and valorization of the local archaeological heritage.
Ongoing analyses and future campaigns will continue to refine our understanding of the function of the identified buildings and the long‑term role of the site in the history of the Basso Verbano.
Publications
Intagliata E.E., De Lisi A., Bolzoni G., Di Presa B., Strapazzon G., Zamboni L. 2025, “Risultati della prima campagna di indagini archeologiche a Sesto Calende (VA) – Oratorio di San Vincenzo”, FOLD&R. Fasti Online Documents & Research, Italy (605). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15838762
Conferences and seminars
Intagliata, E.E., Il patrimonio nascosto di Sesto Calende. Esplorando la storia del pianoro dell’Oratorio di San Vincenzo con l’archeologia, in Giornate FAI di primavera 2026 (Oratorio di San Vincenzo – Sesto Calende, 21/03/2026).
Intagliata, E.E., De Lisi, A., Nava, S. “Resti di due cementizi a base litica da Sesto Calende (VA), loc. Oratorio di San Vincenzo”, in XXXII colloquio dell’Associazione Italiana per lo Studio e la Conservazione del Mosaico (AISCOM) (Foro di Praeneste/Museo Archeologico Nazionale Prenestino – Preneste, 11-14/03/2026).
Intagliata, E.E. “Sesto Calende – Oratorio di San Vincenzo”, in L’Archeologia alla Statale. Una giornata dedicata alla scoperta del passato (Università degli Studi di Milano – Milano, 17/11/2025).
Intagliata, E.E., “Il racconto dello scavo continua. Risultati preliminari della campagna scavi 2025 presso l’Oratorio di San Vincenzo a Sesto Calende” (Museo Civico Archeologico – Sesto Calende, 11/10/2025).
Intagliata, E.E., De Lisi, A., Zamboni, L. “Multiscalar approaches to the Roman and Late Antique countryside in Italy. The case of Oratorio di San Vincenzo (Sesto Calende)”, in EAA 2025. Intertwined pasts. 31st Annual Meeting of the European Association for Archaeologists (Belgrado, Serbia – 3-6 settembre 2025), session “Urbanscape and ruralscape transformation dynamics between the end of the Ancient World and the Middle Ages: new methodological approaches”.
Intagliata, E.E., Zamboni, L. “Il Basso Verbano tra romanità e medioevo. Scavi in corso presso l’Oratorio di San Vincenzo a Sesto Calende” (Museo Archeologico di Angera, Angera, 27/04/2025).
Intagliata, E.E. “Tracking the impact of cities in the countryside. The case of Milan and its hinterland in Late Antiquity” (Centre for Urban Network Evolutions, Aarhus University, Aarhus – 04/02/2025).
Intagliata, E.E. “E dopo lo scavo?” (Scuola Primaria E. Toti, Sesto Calende-Lisanza – 14/12/2024).
Intagliata, E.E., Zamboni, L. “Il racconto di uno scavo. Gli archeologi dell’Università Statale di Milano illustrano i recenti scavi all’Oratorio di San Vincenzo” (Sesto Calende, Oratorio di San Vincenzo – 29/09/2024).
Intagliata, E.E., De Lisi, A., ‘Tra economia circolare e analisi geospaziali – nuove prospettive di ricerca per l’Archeologia Cristiana e Medievale all’Università degli Studi di Milano”, in IX Giornata della Ricerca del Dipartimento di Beni Culturali e Ambientali “Maria Teresa Grassi” (Dipartimento di Beni Culturali e Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano – 23/05/2024).