Most important mines in Italy
In Sulcis Iglesiente, you’ll find the most extensive and important mining area in all of Italy. In fact, it was the first mining complex in the world to be recognized by UNESCO. The mine is a true underground city and was used continuously from the Phoenicians to Mussolini and a small section still remains in use today. However, most of the mines or Serbariu have been converted into a museum about coal and its place in Italian culture.
The museum itself is very interesting. After the bus left us at the stop in Carbonia, we took the main street to the center of town and headed west along a large avenue which I imagine must once have been the miners’ walk to work. Those who were lucky had bicycles, but keep in mind that in those times a bike would have cost up to three months’ wages. When we approached the end of the avenue, we began to see the huge iron pulley supporting the mine elevator cables. At first glance, we thought it was abandoned and off-limits and (to be honest) we were pretty disappointed. We started to circle the compound looking for a way in anyways and came across a road which seemed to lead to the mouth of the mine, a fact confirmed by the huge excavating machine in the distance. Finally, we saw a huge building with a side entrance: the museum. I thought it would be a rather ho-hum visit, but it’s actually one of the most interesting places I visited in Sardinia. To start with, I learned a lot about the history of the Second World War and, in specific, Italian Fascism. I learned about the struggle that workers faced to earn a decent living, the way they lived, and, above all, about the various types of coal and their extraction.
