Area archeologica di Kainua (Marzabotto)

On the Pian di Misano plateau above the Reno valley are the remains of Kainua, an Etruscan city laid out around 500 BC. Its grid of streets, temples and necropolises preserves the plan of an ancient urban settlement.

Why it matters

Kainua is a notable example of Etruscan urban planning. Its streets divided the plateau into rectangular blocks and were aligned with the cardinal points; the plan also reflects the solstitial orientation identified in archaeological studies. Temples, residential and craft areas, and burial grounds formed parts of the city’s wider layout.

What to notice

The main north–south street and cross streets define the elongated insulae. In the north-eastern area are the remains of temples dedicated to Tinia and Uni. The acropolis includes further sacred structures, among them the building known as Altare D. A boundary stone marked with a crossed pattern, called a decussis, is associated with the city’s ritual foundation. Necropolises lay to the east and north, with tombs marked by funerary stones of varied forms.

Context and history

A settlement existed here in the first half of the sixth century BC. By the end of that century, sanctuaries and craft areas had developed, and the city was reorganised around 500 BC. Its name is linked to the Etruscan inscription kainuaϑi, interpreted as “the new.” The Reno valley connected the settlement with routes between northern Tuscany and the Po Valley. Kainua declined after Celtic incursions in the early fourth century BC; under Roman rule, a farmstead occupied part of the former city. The plateau was later returned to agricultural use before the site’s rediscovery in the nineteenth century.