Dinosaurs at the Olympics, the footprints discovered before Milano Cortina 2026

Dinosaur footprints in the Milan Cortina 2026 area

President Fontana continued: “Lombardy is a land full of incredible stories, capable of connecting the present of the Olympic and Paralympic event with the most remote past. This discovery represents an ideal bridge between the ancient history of the territory and the future that the Olympics symbolize. Our region thus confirms itself as a place of excellence, capable of uniting sport, science and tradition in a single great event”. Some coordinates: the area in question cannot be reached via paths, so to study them in depth, drones and remote sensing technologies will have to be used.

“The discovery of the ‘dinosaur valley’ in the Lombardy region is undoubtedly an exceptional discovery for geology and paleontology” added the mayor of Milan Giuseppe Salawith a pinch of emotion. “The studies that will continue starting from the discovery of these footprints will allow us to better understand the history of our planet and the territory in which we live. I am proud to know that the Natural History Museum of Milan has also contributed with great expertise to the recognition of the first dinosaur footprints and therefore of the extraordinary scope of what the photographer Della Ferrera immortalized, thanks to the attentive and expert gaze of the paleontologist Dal Sasso. A few weeks before the opening of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics 2026, this discovery shines an unexpected and fascinating light on the mountains of Lombardy”.

The story

But how does the discovery happen? Sunday 14 September 2025during an excursion in the Fraele Valley (Stelvio Park) to photograph deer and bearded vultures, the photographer Elio Della Ferrera notices, through binoculars, a rocky slope that exposes almost vertical layers. What catches his attention are the numerous depressions that run the length and breadth of those layers. Some are very large, up to 40 centimeters in diameter, others are lined up in parallel rows. Having the rest of the day available, Elio decides to answer some doubts more closely. Thus he goes up a steep slope and, having reached the base of one of the outcrops, he realizes that he is faced with hundreds of fossil footprints. Some show clear traces of fingers and claws: these are animals from the past.

Thus came the phone call to the paleontologist at the Natural History Museum of Milan Cristiano Dal Sassowho you already know, for an opinion. Having seen the first photos appear on his cell phone, Dal Sasso almost doesn’t believe it: “They’re dinosaurs.” Footprints never previously reported. On the same day, the news was communicated to the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Como, Lecco, Sondrio and Varese, responsible for the protection of paleontological assets, which in turn informed the Directorate of the Stelvio National Park, in whose territory the area of ​​the findings falls.

To delimit the area of ​​the outcrops and collect the first information, the Superintendency sets up a working group requesting the collaboration of the Natural History Museum of Milan and the Stelvio National Park, which promptly take action. The paleontologist from the Milan Museum makes an initial inspection accompanied by the Carabinieri Park-Valdidentro Unit, the Park’s scientific staff and Elio Della Ferrera, before the snow covers everything. Then other specialists are involved. The analysis of geological maps and more recent publications indicate that the footprints are preserved in Upper Triassic dolomite rocks, dating back to around 210 million years ago. In the Eastern Alps, including the Dolomites, several sites are known with footprints of the same geological age, but these turn out to be the first dinosaur footprints discovered in Lombardy and the only ones exposed north of one of the most important faults in the Alps, the Insubrica Line.

Malagò: “Unexpected gift for Milano Cortina 2026”

According to the analyzes of the Natural History Museum of Milan, conducted in collaboration with the Muse of Trento and the “Ardito Desio” Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Milan, on behalf of the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Como, Lecco, Sondrio and Varese, and in agreement with the Stelvio National Park, this represents one of the most important Triassic trace fossil deposits in the world. The discovery takes on an even deeper meaning because it takes place on the eve of a world event such as the Olympics. “Obviously I don’t have great knowledge of paleontology but the extraordinary discovery of this Triassic site in the heart of the area where the Olympic competitions will take place excites me”, said the president of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 Giovanni Malagòconnected from Rome.

“Where alpine skiing and snowboarding athletes will compete, dinosaurs lived 200 million years ago. It seems to me to be a sign that reminds us of the depth and richness of not only the cultural but also the geological and paleontological heritage of our Alps and of Valtellina in particular. In short, the natural sciences deliver an unexpected and precious gift that comes from remote eras to the Milan Cortina 2026 Games. Scientists will be able to delve deeper into its enormous relevance, so that it lives in the present and future of the Valtellina community and of those who love knowledge”. In short, less than two months before the start, Milano Cortina 2026 is already history. (by Michele Antonelli)