POST-CLASSICAL LUNI 1: LE ATTIVITÀ NELL’AREA DELLA CITTADELLA VESCOVILE E DELLA CATTEDRALE (XIX-XX secolo).

The "Discovering Early Medieval Luni" (DEMeL) Project, led by the University of Genoa, was launched in 2022 following the granting of a three-year excavation permit by the Ministry. Its primary aim is to investigate the post-classical phases and the continuity of medieval occupation within the area historically referred to as Lune il Novo or the Cittadella, a zone which, according to cartographic sources from the late 16th to the 18th century, encompassed the remains of the Cathedral of Santa Maria. The scope of the project also extends to examining landholding dynamics, agricultural exploitation, and early antiquarian investigations undertaken between the 18th and 19th centuries—activities generally lacking scientific methodology or proper documentation, and many of which remain unpublished or poorly understood. To date (2025), three excavation campaigns have been completed, with investigations now underway in two distinct sectors of the Cittadella. The central focus of the DEMeL project’s initial three-year phase is Area 5000, located immediately north of the cathedral. This area is of strategic importance for understanding the urban and social transformations that affected Luni from the 5th to the early 13th centuries. The present article represents the first in-depth study of the 19th- and 20th-century stratigraphic layers and activities documented in the excavation of Area 5000, consistent with the methodological framework of the DEMeL project.