High in the rugged expanse of northern Italy’s Stelvio National Park, a remarkable discovery has sent ripples through the scientific community and beyond—just months before the world’s attention turns to the nearby slopes for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. In September 2025, wildlife photographer Elio Della Ferrera, out for a day of photographing deer and vultures, stumbled upon what would soon be hailed as one of Europe’s most significant paleontological finds in decades: thousands upon thousands of dinosaur footprints, some dating back over 200 million years.
The prints—estimated to number up to 20,000—stretch across a three-mile (five-kilometer) swath of steep, north-facing rock, perched between 2,400 and 2,800 meters (7,900 to 9,200 feet) above sea level and just two kilometers from Bormio, the town set to host men’s Alpine skiing during the 2026 Games, according to NBC News and China Daily. The discovery site, close to the Swiss border, had never previously yielded dinosaur tracks, making the find all the more extraordinary.
Experts from the Natural History Museum of Milan, led by paleontologist Cristiano Dal Sasso, were quick to recognize the importance of the footprints. At a news briefing, Dal Sasso described the site as "one of the largest and oldest footprint sites in Italy, and among the most spectacular I've seen in 35 years." He was effusive: "This time reality really does surpass fantasy." The tracks are believed to have been left by long-necked, plant-eating dinosaurs—prosauropods, similar in form to Plateosaurus—that roamed the area during the late Triassic period, roughly 210 million years ago.
These herbivores, Dal Sasso explained, could reach lengths of up to 10 meters (33 feet) and weigh as much as four tonnes. Their footprints, some measuring up to 40 centimeters across, are aligned in parallel rows and often show clear impressions of toes and claws. The tracks suggest the animals moved in groups, sometimes pausing in circular formations—possibly as a defensive tactic against predators. "There are very obvious traces of individuals that have walked at a slow, calm, quiet rhythmic pace, without running," Dal Sasso told reporters. Handprints in front of some footprints even indicate that the dinosaurs occasionally rested their forelimbs on the ground, hinting at moments of repose amid their ancient migrations.
The location of the site adds to its intrigue and challenge. The footprints are embedded in a sheer rock face, tilted from their original horizontal position by the gradual uplift that formed the Alpine mountain chain. Della Ferrera, the photographer, described the moment of discovery with awe: "The huge surprise was not so much in discovering the footprints, but in discovering such a huge quantity. There are really tens of thousands of prints up there, more or less well-preserved." The prints are about 600 meters (nearly 2,000 feet) above the nearest road, and the north-facing wall, mostly in shadow, makes them nearly invisible without the aid of powerful lenses or camera equipment. As a result, experts are relying on drones and remote sensing technology to study the tracks in detail.
The area, now a dramatic alpine landscape, was once a prehistoric tidal flat—a coastal environment teeming with life during the Triassic. Over millions of years, geological forces transformed the ancient seafloor into the towering peaks and valleys we see today. According to Dal Sasso, "This place was full of dinosaurs; it's an immense scientific treasure." The discovery provides a rare, tangible link to a time when the region was unrecognizable, inhabited by creatures whose world was vastly different from our own.
The timing of the find, so close to the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, has not gone unnoticed by local officials. Lombardy’s regional governor, Attilio Fontana, called the discovery a "gift for the Olympics," while Italy’s Ministry of Culture offered a poetic perspective: "It's as if history itself wanted to pay homage to the greatest global sporting event, combining past and present in a symbolic passing of the baton between nature and sport." Yet, despite its proximity to Olympic venues, the site’s remoteness and challenging terrain mean it will remain off-limits to the public during the Games. No plans have been announced for future visitor access, though the find is already fueling debate about how best to preserve and study such a fragile, irreplaceable resource.
The significance of the discovery extends far beyond its size or age. For paleontologists, the Stelvio tracks offer an unprecedented look at dinosaur behavior and ecology in what is now the heart of Europe. The footprints’ arrangement in parallel lines and circles suggests a high degree of social organization among the prosauropods, while the sheer number of preserved tracks allows scientists to reconstruct herd movements and interactions in remarkable detail. The presence of both footprints and handprints also sheds light on the locomotion and resting habits of these ancient giants.
For Della Ferrera, the experience has been humbling. He hopes the discovery will "spark reflection in all of us, highlighting how little we know about the places we live in: our home, our planet." His words echo a sentiment that resonates far beyond the scientific community, inviting people everywhere to consider the deep history hidden beneath familiar landscapes.
Meanwhile, the find has injected a sense of wonder and excitement into the lead-up to the Winter Olympics. As athletes prepare to compete on the nearby slopes, the ancient tracks serve as a poignant reminder of the region’s layered history—where, long before humans carved ski runs into the mountains, herds of dinosaurs left their own fleeting marks on the land.
While the prints themselves remain out of reach for now, their story is quickly becoming a source of pride and fascination for locals and visitors alike. As Dal Sasso and his team continue their research, the world will be watching, eager to learn what other secrets these ancient footprints might reveal about our planet’s distant past.
In a place where past and present collide—where Olympic dreams are set against the backdrop of forgotten worlds—the Stelvio footprints offer a rare glimpse into the mysteries that still lie hidden in the mountains, waiting for a curious eye and a bit of luck to bring them back into the light.
