Visit to Old Mineral Mine in Sulcis, Sardinia
Due to Sardinia’s geopolitically strategic position in the Mediterranean and its vast mineral resources, the island has undergone many conquests throughout its history, from the Phoenicians and the Carthaginians, to the Romans and the Byzantines. From 1720 to 1865 (the reunification of Italy), Sardinia came under the rule of the House of Savoy. In 1840, the State of Savoy enacted a new legal provision that separated ownership of topsoil and subsoil. This transferred ownership of all subsoil to the state, the mining permit for which companies could now apply. This new legal landscape coincided with the industrial revolution. Consequently, the exploitation of mineral resources became more efficient.
On Sunday, our group visited the Sardinian Sulcis coast, a
region rich in coal, sulfur, barium, zinc, lead, silver and other metals. Extraction
of these resources began in the 1600s, but did not become economically relevant
until the early 20th century. After World War I, rich northern
European nations committed money to develop the extraction capacity on the
island. Guided by an archaeologist, we visited the Port Flavia mine built in
1923-24.
According to the guide, the mine was named after the daughter of the Belgian engineer, Cesare Vecelli, who designed the harbor. To improve steamship loading time and cost, Vecelli built the harbor next to the cliffs in front of the Pan di Zucchero rock formation, which would protect boats from wind and waves and facilitate loading from the cliffs by gravity. The mine was constructed using dynamite explosives. The dust needed a minimum of two hours to settle post-explosion, so the explosion was done at the end of the day and extraction was done in the morning. The end of the mine tunnels face the sea and have a platform on which you can stand and experience the Mistral beating against the cliffs.
According to the guide, the mine was named after the daughter of the Belgian engineer, Cesare Vecelli, who designed the harbor. To improve steamship loading time and cost, Vecelli built the harbor next to the cliffs in front of the Pan di Zucchero rock formation, which would protect boats from wind and waves and facilitate loading from the cliffs by gravity. The mine was constructed using dynamite explosives. The dust needed a minimum of two hours to settle post-explosion, so the explosion was done at the end of the day and extraction was done in the morning. The end of the mine tunnels face the sea and have a platform on which you can stand and experience the Mistral beating against the cliffs.
(Pan di Zucchero)
Our tour guide informed us how men extracted the minerals in
Porto Flavia. Children under 10 were forbidden to work in the mine, but both
women and children lived next to the mine and processed minerals in washing
plants. There were no unions and in the mine’s early history, miners went on
strike to protest working hours akin to slavery. The state military cracked down
on the protest and massacred the rioters.
More to come on the remainder of our trip to Sulcis!
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