Montesei

This large area must have been affected by human settlements since ancient times, which here enjoyed good environmental conditions and found themselves at the mouth of the prehistoric tracks coming from the Veneto and heading towards the Adige Valley. In the northern area of the Pergine basin, on the right of the Fersina stream, rises the hilly complex of Montesei di Serso.

It is made up of two hills, the low Montesei, which have their peak at an altitude of 660 meters in an ellipsoidal plain and the high Montesei, which rise up to 614 meters with a succession of small rocky jumps. The two hills are connected at an altitude of 585 meters by a large, almost flat saddle, facing Pergine.

It is easily accessed on the north side, from the small valley that separates them from the Casteler cliffs; towards the east they are instead closed by the Rio Negro which flows into the Fersina torrent, which in turn flows at the base of the Montesei themselves, while the western slope touched by the ancient mule track of the "passi d'ors", which rises towards Montagnaga di Pinè, despite being open, is very steep. The area was inhabited by Rhaetian populations who remained there for more than three centuries, leaving visible traces of their presence. The archaeological area preserves the ruins of four houses, dating back to between 450 and 100 BC. quadrangular in plan with access corridor and basement structure.

Among the remains of the houses, arranged in a chessboard pattern, various objects of various shapes and uses were found: iron furnishings, bronze ornaments and numerous fragments of pottery. Of notable importance were the findings of deer bones with inscriptions in the Rhaetian alphabet. Writing, limited only to the religious sphere, is attested on votive objects, while in some cases alphabetic acronyms have been found on commonly used furnishings. The inhabitants of Montesei had to flee their homes several times due to raging fires, as evidenced by the findings of charred beams and furnishings in an advanced state of melting. The Montesei, due to their favorable position, were inhabited even before the Rhaetian people starting at least from the 19th century BC.

The various excavation campaigns that have taken place since 1962 have brought to light numerous prehistoric and protohistoric finds, the majority of which are now exhibited at the Tridentine Museum of Natural Sciences.