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Recent public works anddevelopment in the plain north of the Arno, highlighted the rich archaeological potentialembedded in the area comprised between the Bisenzio river, the Marinellatorrent and the base of the Calvana highland, geologically related to thefluvial-lacustral basin of Florence - Prato - Pistoia. Inthe area today occupied by the ScaloMerci dell’Interporto della Toscana Centrale, an extended villagedeveloped in the Middle Bronze Age, halfway through the second millennium BCE.
An area of around 5,000 square meters of the settlement was analysed, and the ensuing studies found that only in very rare cases the original layoutis still preserved; the area was modified by later agricultural use in Etruscanand Roman times. One of the most significantfinds, for its historic age, is the Archaic Etruscan site of Gonfienti, afew hundred meters away from the Bronze Age villages of Gonfienti-Scalo Merci(PO) and Mezzana-Perfetti Ricasoli (FI).
The ancient settlementsystem, first proto-historical, then Etruscan and Roman, lies on the alluvialfan of the Marinella stream.In the last years, theconstruction of the Interport of centrai Tuscany, revealed a vast area occupiedby Etruscan structures of the Archaic period (VI century B.C. - first half ofthe V century B.C.). The consistent chronology, orientation and typology ofbuildings enabled us to refer to the site as an urbanised centro.
Preliminary excavations exposed large habitation complexes located along wide streets. Amongst the typical raw kitchen and table pottery there are also high quality ceramic founds. Near the archeological area, there is located the “Mulino” complex, which houses the Superintendence’s restoration and diagnostics laboratory, and where archeological finds from the territory are preserved.
Archaeological excavations and research were carried out by Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio per la città metropolitana di Firenze e le province di Pistoia e Prato.
