The Institute for Field Research is delighted to celebrate the team behind our Bostel di Rotzo field school, which received two awards at the XXI World Congress of the International Union for Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences (UISPP), held in Poznań, Poland, from August 31 to September 4, 2026. The project received the Award for Archaeological Research Excavation and the Award for Public Archaeology and Heritage Mediation, recognizing both its long-running archaeological research and its commitment to sharing that work with the surrounding community.

Located on the Asiago Plateau in northern Italy, Bostel di Rotzo is an Iron Age settlement that once occupied a strategic position connecting the Veneto lowlands with communities across the Alps. Archaeological research at the site has continued for more than 30 years, investigating the everyday lives and identities of its pre-Roman inhabitants. Today, excavations led by IFR field school directors Dr. Cinzia Bettineschi and Dr. Luigi Magnini combine traditional field methods with remote sensing, UAV surveys, 3D modeling, and other digital technologies.

Archaeology student intently examining an artifact at Bostel di Rotzo field site in Italy, surrounded by excavation tools and buckets.

The UISPP Award for Archaeological Research Excavation recognizes internationally significant projects with more than 15 years of high-quality fieldwork, conservation, scientific publication, and public outreach. The Bostel team’s second award recognizes an illustrated comic volume in Italian created in collaboration with primary school pupils from Rotzo and neighboring Roana, part of the project’s broader efforts to make local archaeology accessible to the communities surrounding the site.

Students in IFR’s Bostel di Rotzo field school contribute directly to this ongoing research, working alongside a multidisciplinary team to excavate the settlement and contribute to public engagement initiatives. We are thrilled to see the Bostel team recognized by UISPP for both the quality of its archaeological research and its commitment to public engagement. Congratulations to Dr. Bettineschi, Dr. Magnini, and the many researchers, students, and community partners who have contributed to the project over the years!

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