Balzi Rossi, the caves at the border

The Balzi Rossi take their name from the ochre cliffs that fall into the sea at the hamlet of Grimaldi, a few hundred metres from the border. The cavities at their base form one of the best documented records in Europe of continuous human occupation, from the Lower Palaeolithic through to recent prehistory. The state museum on the site holds the female figurines recovered from the caves, together with evidence of Palaeolithic rock art.

Reading the site means combining the museum collections, the Barma Grande and the Caviglione cave, the latter accessible only in the company of museum staff. The whole is under the Regional Directorate of National Museums of Liguria, the single point of contact for any form of supervised access or for an in-depth reading led by an archaeologist. From Cala del Forte the site is reached by the coast road, the entrance lying on via dei Balzi Rossi, just below the border line.