In 286 Milan became the capital of the Roman Empire. Also after the
transfer of the seat in Ravenna in 402, Milan maintained a great
importance thanks to its central position with respect to the
connections of the Po Plain with central Europe. In order to protect it
from the pressure of the barbarians, its walls were renewed and several
castles were built at the entrance of the alpine valleys and near the
lakes; among them, one of the most famous castles is the one built on
Mt. Barro.
Between 1986 and 1997, the Park promoted archaeological
researches which confirmed the thruthfulness of the legends which,
since the Middle Ages, talked about Barro as the seat of a mythical
town.
The excavations brought back to life the rests of a Gothic castle,
among which a settlement in Piani di Barra and a large defensive system
surrounding most of the mountain. In 1992 a guided route giving the
opportunity to visit the archaeological finds was created.
The Archaeological Park covers about 8 ha in an environmental context
of great landscape impact, equipped for self-guided visits.
Another area of archaeological interest regards the ruins of walls and
towers which can be seen along the final stretch of the street leading
to the Hermitage of Mt. Barro, where the one and only street crossing
the Park ends. Finally, on the southern slope of the mountain you can
visit the fortification wall, locally called "muraiöö", which enclosed
the whole site, with three towers on as many ridges.
The most interesting finds are on display in the Antiquarium (Italian text), at the Park Center in location Eremo di Monte Barro.