The Story in the Stone
High in the wild, rugged lands of Carona, where the wind whispers ancient secrets, lies a place where time itself is etched into the rocks. Between 2,100 and 2,450 meters above sea level, scattered across the mountains, there are stones—silent, unassuming, yet marked with the echoes of centuries. These boulders of clay-rich sandstone, smoothed by nature’s touch, hold carvings that speak of a forgotten world.
The carvings—made with metal tools by hands long turned to dust—reveal a symphony of symbols: Solomonic knots, crosses, stars, hearts. Among them, the figures of warriors stand frozen in time, their weapons ready for battles that no longer rage. There are animals, fierce and wild, once roaming these very lands. Long inscriptions wind across the stone like ancient scrolls, telling stories of medieval life, of faith, and of the quiet struggles that shaped this remote corner of the world.
But it is the Val Camisana’s Rock No. 1 that draws the most awe. Here, carved over two millennia ago, are figures from the 5th century B.C., etched in lines so bold they defy time’s erosion. Among the markings, a glimpse of the ancient Celtic world: inscriptions in the Lepontic alphabet, a language nearly as extinct as the windswept forests that once covered these slopes.
A replica of this remarkable stone can be seen in the village, where an educational trail has been created. Signs lead visitors through the secrets the stone holds, offering a glimpse into a world where the mountains weren’t just landscapes—they were storytellers, keeping guard over the histories of those who lived and died under their gaze.
In this carved stone lies the story of Carona, a tale of humans reaching through time to leave their mark, to remind us they were here, to speak of their beliefs, their battles, their lives. It is a history not written in books, but in the bones of the earth itself.
Italian