On Friday, 19 October, at the Teatro degli Astrusi in Montalcino, a conference will be held to present the project for the restoration and study of Brunella, the Pliocene baleen whale found at Poggio alle Mura in 2007 and dating back some four million years. The conference, entitled Discovering Brunella, the fossil whale of Poggio alle Mura, will begin at 10:00 a.m. and will be dedicated exclusively to pupils and teachers of the Montalcino Primary School. Dr. Michelangelo Bisconti, from the San Diego Natural History Museum, will illustrate the excavation and restoration work currently underway at the Castello Banfi site-laboratory, the multidisciplinary scientific study conducted in collaboration with various universities, and the programme of educational and training activities. These include the School Camp in Palaeobiological Excavation and Restoration, now in its third edition, which will be held from 12 to 17 November, and free guided tours of the laboratory open to schoolchildren and the public.
On the same day at 3.30 p.m., at Castello Banfi, Arch. Anna Di Bene, Soprintendente Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the provinces of Siena, Grosseto and Arezzo, will officially open the initiative Open Yardwith the first two days of free guided tours scheduled for Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 October from 10:00 to 12:30 and from 14:30 to 17:00.
The restoration and study work is part of the Brunella Project, the result of collaboration between the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the provinces of Siena, Grosseto and Arezzo, the Banfi company and the Istituto di Studi Archeo-Antropologici. The project is supported by an Art Bonus grant from the Banfi company to the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, as well as the patronage and support of the Municipality of Montalcino and the recognition of prestigious Italian and international scientific institutions.