Central research theme is Roman urbanization in central Apennines and its changes through centuries till Renaissance time.
This inner area was characterized by rather rough morphology and the Roman intervention strategy has been cautious and delayed compared to other areas of the peninsula.; for this reason a few Roman were . Among towns founded in more recent times, Peltuinum, lasts from 1st cent. B.C. until Late Antiquity, when a violent earthquake causes the end of the town system, which returns into small scattered settlements connected to religious imprint. Based on the recovered data, the investigation touches on various topics: from topographic and urban sphere to geological, economic, religious, and anthropological (cultural, physical) fields.
The results of the research every year allow a wider view of ancient local reality, showing the passage from the micro to the macro-history.
Both the peculiar geographical position and the geoidrological characteristics, since the prehistoric age defined the site as a safe stop point for humans and flocks. For this reason the city had a long life as trade center in Italy sheep tracks, even after the 5th c. AD seismic event, when, though losing the status of city, it maintains the customs function in the Middle Ages and in pre-unitary Italy.
Analysis of the subsequent urbanistic phases, allows to retrace not only the social and economic history of the area, but also the series of earthquakes which had consequences in the regional history and impacts on Rome too. Of particular relevance too is the relation with the actual seismic situation: the archaeological data of the 5th cent. earthquake in Peltuinum matches with other data in inner Abruzzo region, helping to draw times and repeating of earthquakes, aiming to seismic present research.
Research interest in social area in Late-Antiquity is carried on through osteological remains inside the theatre structures.
A few themes are worth mentioning. 1.The research on human fetuses, infants, young dogs and foals discovered in the shafts used for the mechanism lifting and lowering the curtain in the Roman theatre is going on, beeing paid close attention by archaeo-anthropolgists, because Peltuinum's situation shows particular in documented infant burials. The presentation of research outcomes in several international congresses has attracted scholars¿interest. In similar panoramas (Kolonos Agoraios Athens-II cent. BC; agora of Messene - III sec. BC; Lugnano in Teverina ¿ 5th c. AD), Peltuinum set of osteological findings leads towards an atypical but ritual burial and, until now, this is a unique context in the world of infant burials associated not only to puppies or dogs but to foals too, clearly deposited in ritual sacrifice. Radiocarbon dating of a few elements has also offered interesting data matching with stratigraphical ones collected in the excavations.
Osteological analysis must be carried on for a high quantity of the elements, as the completion of structural, archaeological, anthropological data is fundamental to the debate progress. Associating isotopic and dna analysis will offer the opportunity to new interpreting the transition of society from Roman to the Middle Ages. Besides, until now, research has not faced this type of inquiries related to Appennines sites located along the transhumance tracks. Historic, archaeological, religious investigation associated with biological analysis and radiocarbon dates will be significant from the anthropological and social point of view.
2. Seism. As already mentioned, the stratigraphical data document at least two strong earthquakes and a third violent one. While the first two were overwhelmed by the city, the third one was too strong to overcome the situation and the city was abandoned. It is important to continue the excavations, as the recording of seisms help defining the temporal scan of earthquake. Since few years the importance of documenting historic earthquakes is stressed by technicians in order to progress on forecasting geological behaviour in seismic areas.
3. In the field of Public Space, the transformation of the Forum area in Late Antiquity is being documented by the excavations and it offers elements to progress in urbanism research. The case of Peltuinum reflects what occured with the abandonment of Roman tradition: with the consequent dismantling of the urban buildings, the wide open areas of most towns turned to different activities being invaded by workshops or cultivated allotments.
Here, the forum area was reused as an agricultural land and such an exploiting lasted till modern times, when archaeological investigation began. But excavations¿ results also clarify the organization of the area in Imperial age, with shops or offices located along the eastern side and a road running along the western side: it is another element contributing to urbanistic studies in Forum areas.
Also the Renaissance workers housings related to the reuse of ancient materials show interesting architectural devices considering the function which they were intended to have: sheltering workers exploiting the theatre ruins as a quarry for material to be used in the construction first of a fort on the very site of the theatre and, few centuries afterwards, of a nearby rural church collapsed after the XIVth century devastating erthquake. It is not so frequent to document the actual relation between a dismantled Roman edifice and the building of Medieval complexes.
4. The excavation leads to an advancement of knowledge in the economic field too: as inscriptions attest, the Imperial interest focused this inner Appennine area after Emperor Claudius intervention in Fucino lake beyond Sirente mountain. Transhumance revenues and agricultural exploiting constitute added value for this mountainous region.