The incredible discovery was made in Italy on Sept. 14
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Around 20,000 dinosaur tracks have been discovered in the Alps in northern Italy
The discovery was made in September by photographer Elio Della Ferrera, the Milan Natural History Museum (MNHM) said
The footprints were found near venues for the 2026 Winter Olympics Games, which begins in February
Thousands of dinosaur footprints have been discovered near locations for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
The dinosaur tracks were found in Stelvio National Park in the central Alps of northern Italy by nature photographer Elio Della Ferrera on Sept. 14, the Milan Natural History Museum (MNHM) wrote on Instagram on Tuesday, Dec. 16. The footprints date back about 210 million years to the Triassic period, according to the museum.
“This represents one of the most important deposits of Triassic trace fossils in the world,” MNHM said of the discovery. The footprints are located in the Alps’ Fraele Valley, between Livigno and Bormio, which are venues for the upcoming Games in February.
“Ferrera spotted hundreds of meters of dinosaur tracks on extensive, nearly vertical dolomite walls,” said the MNHM. “The tracks, preserved in excellent condition despite the altitude, show traces of toes and claws imprinted on tidal flats at the end of the Triassic.”
An estimated 20,000 footprints were located in the area, spanning about three miles. The tracks are believed to have been left behind by long-necked bipedal herbivores, measuring up to 33 feet in length and weighing four tons, the Associated Press reported.
“There are very obvious traces of individuals that have walked at a slow, calm, quiet rhythmic pace, without running,’’ Dal Sasso said, per the AP. “The huge surprise was not so much in discovering the footprints, but in discovering such a huge quantity … tens of thousands of prints up there.”
The Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the provinces of Como, Lecco, Sondrio, and Varese and the Stelvio National Park assisted the MNHM in carrying out a detailed analysis of the dinosaur tracks and their origin, the museum shared.
“The area cannot be reached by trails: drones and remote sensing technologies are needed to study it,” explained the MNHM. Photos, geo-paleontological evidence and videos were also produced of the footprints for further analysis.
“It is the largest site in the Alps and one of the richest in the world,” said the MNHM. “Never before reported or studied, it will engage geologists and paleontologists for decades."
The footprints were discovered around a mile from the Italian town of Bormio, per the AP. The men’s alpine skiing for the 2026 Winter Olympics is set to take place in the resort in February.
Lombardy regional governor, Attilio Fontana, called the discovery the "gift of the Olympics" and is planning for the remote site where the tracks were found to be accessible to the public in the future, the AP reported.
