Located in the heart of the Mediterranean, Sardinia boasts an exceptionally rich and varied geological heritage, with rock formations spanning a wide range of types and geological ages. This diversity has shaped the island’s strikingly varied landscapes, which change from one region to another, creating distinct habitats for plants and wildlife and influencing how people have settled and lived in different parts of the island.
It is no coincidence that Sardinia is home to the Parco Geominerario Storico e Ambientale della Sardegna (Sardinia Geological, Mining, Historical and Environmental Park). Established by the Italian government on 16 October 2001, following strong public demand, the Park had already received international recognition in 1998, when UNESCO recognised it as the first Geological and Mining Park of its kind in the world, acknowledging its outstanding global significance.
Miniera Montevecchio is one of the Park’s most remarkable sites. Its extensive mineral vein system is of international importance, and today it stands out as one of the most complete and accessible mining heritage sites in the Park, offering visitors a wealth of opportunities to explore its industrial and cultural history.
During its 143 years of industrial activity, mining operations extended across five concessions: Genna Sciria, Piccalinna, Montevecchio I, Montevecchio II and Montevecchio III. Within these areas, the mining districts of Sant’Antonio, Piccalinna, Sanna, Telle and Casargiu became the centre of an industry built around the extraction of Sardinia’s richest and most extensive deposits of lead and zinc.
Together with the neighbouring mines of Ingurtosu and Gennamari, Montevecchio formed part of a major mining district that produced more than 1.7 million tonnes of metallic lead and 1.2 million tonnes of metallic zinc, as well as silver, bismuth, antimony, copper, cadmium and germanium.
For many years, the mine employed more than 2,200 people at a time, not including the many others working in the businesses and services that supported the mining industry.
Today, the former mining area stretches across two broad valleys, with the historic village of Montevecchio perched on the ridge between them. Nature is gradually reclaiming the landscape, with woodland spreading across mine waste heaps and vegetation enveloping the old industrial buildings. These renewed habitats are home to the Sardinian deer, along with a wide variety of other wildlife.
Many of the remarkable industrial structures built during almost a century and a half of mining have been preserved and converted into museums, keeping alive both the physical remains and the stories, memories and traditions of the people who worked here. Visitors can discover this extraordinary industrial heritage first-hand, including by venturing underground into the tunnels where miners once extracted the ore.
Every year, thousands of people of all ages, from Sardinia and around the world, visit Miniera Montevecchio to discover the geological, mining, historical and environmental heritage that the Sardinia Geological, Mining, Historical and Environmental Park was established to preserve and promote.