The Poggio complex is located immediately to the east of the town of Marina di Camerota on the coast road. Originally it was a single large cave constituted by an enormous chamber and a sort of tunnel which served for drainage. A Pleistocene sea, probably related to isotopic stage 7, eroded one side of the cave thus making the ceiling of the chamber collapse; the remaining side, which is overhanging, constitutes the Riparo del Poggio. Grotta del Poggio is the name that has been given to what remains of the "tunnel" after the rockfall during the Pleistocene and subsequent cutting works for road construction.

The first research at the site was carried out by G. V. Chiappella and P. Parenzan in 1956. Between 1965 and 1969, A. Palma di Cesnola carried out excavations in Grotta del Poggio in collaboration with the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Salerno. Excavations in Riparo del Poggio were started by A. Palma di Cesnola in 1968 and continued by the author in 1970-74.

The series in Grotta del Poggio, which is 5 metres thick, begins at the bottom with a marine conglomerate. On top of this there are the Lower Palaeolithic levels which are predominantly constituted by sands and limestone fragments (levels 3-13). The environment seems to have been prevalently cold with some temperate episodes corresponding with the concreted levels (3, 5 and 9). Among the significant elements, the fauna includes Caprines (Ibex) and Pachiderms (Elephas, Stephanorhinus) in an association dominated by red deer. Chronologically, levels 3-13 would be situated within isotopic stage 6.

Grotta del Poggio: industry of the level 2

Riparo del Poggio: industry from the Mousterian levels

The lithic industry is characterised by an abundance of small denticulates alongside sidescrapers and points. Some elements, such as the Clactonian notches, Quinson-type tools with dihedral ventral faces and some denticulate points, contribute to confer on the industry an archaic and Tayacian character. Two remains of Homo come from these levels: a molar and an astragalus.

Level 2 comprises various layers, initially composed of sands and limestone fragments and then breccia; the latter reach up to the top of the cave, thus closing it. Here red deer accounts for more than 80~o of the faunal remains. The industry is Mousterian, rich in sidescrapers which are mainly made on cortical pebble flakes; the tools are larger with respect to those from the lower levels, and the retouch is similar to "Quina" retouch.

A subsequent siphonage reopened the drainage of the Grotta, thus provoking the erosion of level 2; of this there remains only the breccia plated onto the ceiling and walls and the lower horizons which are eroded. Level 1 lies on the eroded surface and contains a Mousterian industry made on flat flakes with elements of the Levallois technique. Mixed with these Palaeolithic artifacts there are the remains of a Bronze Age burial and pottery.

The series of the adjacent Riparo del Poggio has the lower part in common with that of the Grotta: there is continuity between the lower strata of the two stratigraphic successions.

The series begins with the marine conglomerate, above which one finds more than 15 metres of deposits, always with a more or less abundant archaeological content . The lower part of the series, up to and including level 18, is equivalent to levels 3-13 in the Grotta: the industry found there, even if it is constituted by only a few pieces, concords with what is shown by the stratigraphy. The Mousterian industries start above, and continue up to level 9. Here however the sediments are very different to those in the Grotta, and consist of alternations of breccia (16, 14 and 11), pyroclasts (15 and 13) and more or less cemented sands (12, 10 and 9). The breccia of level 16, which is very tough and reddened, may correspond with isotopic stage 5 while levels 9 and 10, which are dark coloured sands with the presence of horse, probably date to around 40 kyr BP. The industry is very abundant at the top of the series, and is of a Mousterian type made on flat flakes, with the presence of Levallois technique increasing towards the top. Some burins and endscrapers accompany the more typical Mousterian tool types.

The surface of a deep erosion has placed the Mousterian levels in direct contact with the overlying Epigravettian levels. Of the latter, which consist of brown earth deposits which fill the spaces between blocks of rock fall, there are few diagnostic elements. Only level 3, which is rich in molluscs, has a sufficient content to consent its attribution to the Final Epigravettian; it is thus dated to circa 12 kyr BP.

At the top of the series there is a level with Bronze Age pottery fragments.