RARO-Rock Art RecOrder 3.0/2026 is a free Windows database software (5 MB, Win only, unless using a virtualized OS) specifically designed for recording and cataloguing rock art. Developed by Andrea Arcà, it has been used for important Alpine rock-art sites. RARO allows users to manage rock and figure records and automatically produce HTML catalogues and detailed statistical reports. Version 3.0 introduces faster catalogue generation and direct HTML output through the default web browser. The software now provides multilingual help and record headings in English, Italian, Spanish and French. New features also include virtual-tour and museum links, and a tribute to RARO’s DOS origins. RARO is highly adaptable and can be customised to the recording requirements of virtually any rock-art site.
by Andrea Arcà
RARO-Rock Art RecOrder 3.0 is out
A database software for recording, cataloguing and studying rock art
RARO-Rock Art RecOrder is database software for Windows specifically designed for cataloguing rock art. It was developed by Andrea Arcà and has been used to catalogue several important engraved and painted rock-art sites in the Alps, including the Naquane Great Rock (Grande Roccia) in Valcamonica, the Rupe Magna in Valtellina, the Balma dei Cervi in Crodo (Antigorio Valley), and the rock shelter at Chenal in the Aosta Valley.
RARO allows users to compile rock records and figure records and to automatically export the corresponding catalogues in HTML format, together with detailed statistical reports.
Further information
Visit the RARO page on the TRACCE Online Rock Art Bulletin:
https://www.tracce.eu/2026/06/22/raro-rock-art-recorder
RARO 3.0/2026 — now available
RARO version 3.0/2026 has now been released and is freely available online as freeware. It can be downloaded from this page of the TRACCE Online Rock Art Bulletin.
A dedicated email address, raro.rockart@mailfence.com, has also been set up for messages, questions, and comments concerning the use of RARO.
32-bit and 64-bit versions
RARO 3.0 is available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The two versions are equivalent and can be used interchangeably, as they share the same underlying data. Some aspects of image handling, however, are better managed by the 32-bit version.
RARO Rock Art RecOrder 3.0
– Download the .zip package here (15,5 MB); while downloading, wait for the antivirus scan to complete.
– Unzip and execute the 32 or 64-bit .exe files.
– Please read the readme.txt file and the help texts included in RARO.
Send download link to:
Updates in version 3.0
Version 3.0 includes numerous updates and changes compared with version 2.0, which is no longer available for download.
Figure Record
The addition of a drop-down menu has made it easier to open figure records for editing. Users can now simply select the rock, sector and figure and click on the relevant record, without having to enter the figure number manually.
Rock Record
It is now possible to print a rock record together with its corresponding figure records.
Catalogue Output and Statistics
One of the most significant improvements in RARO 3.0 concerns the speed of catalogue generation. Replacing the old SET ALTERNATE TO function with Fwrite() has drastically reduced the time required to generate the catalogues (rocks and figures).
Processing times
| Catalogue | Approximate processing time |
|---|---|
| 1 rock + 500 figures | 10 seconds – 1 minute |
| Grande Roccia di Naquane — 2,000+ figures | 1 – 10 minutes |
| Test catalogue — 10,000 figures | ≈ 3 minutes |
Processing times naturally depend on the processing power of the computer. RARO has also been tested with a catalogue containing 10,000 figures, which took approximately 3 minutes to process on a high-performance computer.
Progress monitoring
While the catalogue is being generated, a countdown timer showing minutes and seconds is displayed in the console window, which must not be closed. A progressive count of the records processed is also displayed, allowing users to monitor the operation step by step and obtain an indication of the time remaining.
HTML catalogue output
Once processing is complete, the HTML version of the catalogues and statistical tables is displayed directly in a tab of the default web browser, rather than in an ActiveX window. The resulting pages are therefore immediately ready to be exported to PDF.
GPS coordinates
The online display of the GPS coordinates entered in rock records is also now available in a browser tab, with a choice of Google Maps · Bing Maps · OpenStreetMap
Four-Language Support
The introductory help and the help relating to the management of rock records are now available in four languages: English · Italian · Spanish · French. Similarly, the headings of rock records, figure records and statistical reports (but not their contents) can be printed in English, Italian, Spanish or French.
Images
Some bugs in the core image-handling libraries, present only in the 64-bit version, have been worked around, particularly those affecting the display of portrait-oriented images.
RARO can also now remember the last folder opened when accessing files on the computer. This makes it faster and more convenient to insert large numbers of images into rock and figure records.
Retrocomputing
To remind users of RARO’s origins in the DOS era, three short “snapshots” of retrocomputing have been included.
These display, in the console window:
- the boot-up screen;
- the menu;
- the rock-art record screen
from the original old RAD – Rock Art Database.
Virtual Tours and Museums
Links to the Virtual Tour of the Naquane Great Rock (Valcamonica) and the Virtual Museum of the Balma dei Cervi in Crodo have been added to the options available under the Features menu.
A Flexible Tool for Rock-Art Research
We warmly invite all scholars, enthusiasts and institutions working in the field of rock art to download and use RARO-Rock Art RecOrder.
RARO can be adapted to virtually any rock-art site by modifying and customising the definitions relating to:
- style;
- category;
- chronology;
- specific types;
- execution techniques.
This flexibility allows RARO to be adapted to the specific archaeological and scientific requirements of different rock-art recording projects.
RARO-Rock Art RecOrder 3.0/2026
freeware for Windows · 32-bit and 64-bit versions
developed by Andrea Arcà
ORCID /0000-0002-9825-4775
As mentioned, RARO-Rock Art RecOrder has been adapted for the Windows environment to catalogue the more than 2,000 figures on the Great Rock (Grande Roccia) of Naquane (NAQ1), within the Capo di Ponte Rock Art National Park in Valcamonica (I).
A monograph on this rock, La Grande Roccia delle Aquane, Valcamonica archeo-rupestre (Arcà 2025), has recently been published; a review of it can be read here, in the pages TRACCE Online Rock Art Bulletin.
It is also possible to ‘explore’ the Great Rock via the virtual tour: you are warmly invited to surf it!
References
Arcà A. 2025. La Grande Roccia delle Aquane, Valcamonica archeo-rupestre, Edizioni del Centro, Capo di Ponte.
