Neanderthal incursions at a high-altitude bear cave: Reassessing Caverna Generosa in the southern Alps

High-altitude “bear caves” provide unique windows into Middle Paleolithic human behavior, often reflecting sporadic Neanderthal occupations in challenging alpine environments. In this study, we present updated evidence from Caverna Generosa, a “bear cave” situated at 1450 m a.s.l. in the Lombard Prealps, Italy. Our research integrates new lithic analyses with recent micromorphological and paleontological data, offering a comprehensive understanding of the site's occupational history. Radiometric recalibration of existing dates, combined with comparative analyses of other high-altitude Neanderthal sites, refines the chronological framework of these occupations in a late phase of the Middle Paleolithic. Although sparse, the lithic assemblages from Caverna Generosa provide valuable insights into Neanderthal technological behaviors. The pronounced fragmentation of the reduction sequence, along with the presence of end-products, indicates a level of planning and mobility consistent with hunter–gatherer strategies in challenging environments. These results contribute to broader discussions on Neanderthal toolkits and adaptations to high-altitude habitats, highlighting the complexity of their subsistence strategies and settlement patterns. This research further underscores the importance of “bear caves” as key sites for understanding Neanderthal life in alpine regions and demonstrates the potential for integrating sporadic and episodic occupation evidence with data from more residential sites to reconstruct coherent patterns of land use and territory occupation.