There is a huge selection of intriguing mine sites to visit in Tuscany where tourists can learn all about what was once a thriving industry here. Anyone with a keen interest in history and geography would love a visit to mining museums and accompanying tours to sites in the Mount Amiata district, Valdicastello and Cavriglia to name but a few.
There is a wide range of holiday villas in Pietrasanta in the valdicastello area to choose from if visitors would like to spend some or all of their holiday here. A tour around these underground worlds gives tourists an absorbing insight into what life was like for miners during the boom period when metals like iron, silver, lead and copper were in massive demand.
There is a wide range of holiday villas in Pietrasanta in the valdicastello area to choose from if visitors would like to spend some or all of their holiday here. A tour around these underground worlds gives tourists an absorbing insight into what life was like for miners during the boom period when metals like iron, silver, lead and copper were in massive demand.
The Mount Amiata Mercury Mines museum is located on the ground floor of Palazzo Sforza Cesarini in Santa Fiora in Grosetto province. It’s divided into six rooms which each tell a connected story of the history of the mercury mines, the typical life of a miner working there, the working conditions and what the metals extracted would have been used for.
This fascinating display of information gives a valuable insight into Renaissance Tuscany when metal sculptures and beautiful ornaments were being wielded in high quantities to decorate the churches, palaces and noble houses of Italy. There is also a wonderful display here of artefacts discovered in the area that date as far back as 300BC. The museum is open from January until December and entry is only €2.
Also worth visiting are the huge mines of Val di Castello. Located nearby to the town of Pietrasanta in the province of Lucca, these mines were rigorously guarded by manned forts built all around them. These precious metal resources brought great prosperity to the area and earned the valley its nickname, ‘La Valle Buona’, meaning The Good Valley.
This fascinating display of information gives a valuable insight into Renaissance Tuscany when metal sculptures and beautiful ornaments were being wielded in high quantities to decorate the churches, palaces and noble houses of Italy. There is also a wonderful display here of artefacts discovered in the area that date as far back as 300BC. The museum is open from January until December and entry is only €2.
Also worth visiting are the huge mines of Val di Castello. Located nearby to the town of Pietrasanta in the province of Lucca, these mines were rigorously guarded by manned forts built all around them. These precious metal resources brought great prosperity to the area and earned the valley its nickname, ‘La Valle Buona’, meaning The Good Valley.
There’s a fantastic mining museum in Cavriglia in Arezzo province that provides a detailed archive of information about the nearby mines in Castelnuovo dei Sabbioni.
Visitors can enjoy admiring a collection of rock and metal samples that were excavated from them. It’s open on Tuesdays between 10am and 12pm and can be visited by appointment only throughout the rest of the week and entry is free.
These are just a sample of the delightful tours and history you can learn about mines in Tuscany. Read through our article on other mines to visit here as well as other fascinating articles that describe the underground Tuscany.
An exploration of some of these subterranean worlds is guaranteed to enrich your next Tuscan holiday experience so read on to be inspired in planning your adventures here!
Visitors can enjoy admiring a collection of rock and metal samples that were excavated from them. It’s open on Tuesdays between 10am and 12pm and can be visited by appointment only throughout the rest of the week and entry is free.
These are just a sample of the delightful tours and history you can learn about mines in Tuscany. Read through our article on other mines to visit here as well as other fascinating articles that describe the underground Tuscany.
An exploration of some of these subterranean worlds is guaranteed to enrich your next Tuscan holiday experience so read on to be inspired in planning your adventures here!
Photo credits
picture 1: Zyance / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 3: LigaDue / CC BY-SA 3.0
picture 1: Zyance / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 3: LigaDue / CC BY-SA 3.0
