Montevecchio (; ), located in the south west of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

, is one of the most ancient mining sites in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Administratively, the village of Montevecchio is a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'' (borough) of the municipality of Guspini, in the

Province of South Sardinia The province of South Sardinia (; ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the autonomous island region of Sardinia, Italy, instituted on 4 February 2016. It includes the suppressed provinces of Province of Carbonia-Iglesias, Carbonia-Iglesias and ...

, while the mines are situated in the municipalities of both Arbus and Guspini.

History

The extraction of minerals in the area of Montevecchio dates back to the

Phoenicia Phoenicians were an Ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syria, Syrian ...

n and Roman times. In 1842, modern industrial mining activity started in the area, thanks to the arrival of entrepreneurs such as Giovanni Antonio Pischedda and Giovanni Antonio Sanna. Subsequently, the Montecatini company took over the extractive activities. At its height, the mining village was inhabited by more than 3000 people. The mines of Montevecchio stopped their activities in 1991. The mines of Montevecchio are now an important site of

industrial archaeology Industrial archaeology (IA) is the systematic study of material evidence associated with the Industry (manufacturing), industrial past. This evidence, collectively referred to as industrial heritage, includes buildings, machinery, artifacts, si ...

, part of the Parco Geominerario Storico ed Ambientale della Sardegna.Official Website of the Institution Parco Geominerario della Sardegna
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References

Footnotes

Bibliography

* Angei, Luca, ''Arbus tra storia e leggenda. Usanze e vita di un popolo'', Cesmet, Napoli, 1995 * Caddeo, Antonello, ''Arbus. Immagini e ricordi dal passato'', Editar, Cagliari, 1994 * Piras, Aldo, ''Pietro Leo e Raimondo Garau. Tempi e luoghi'', Garau, Guspini, 2003

External links

Montevecchio Mines

Official Website of the Institution Parco Geominerario della Sardegna

Official Website of the Medio Campidano Province (in English)
{{Authority control Province of South Sardinia Buildings and structures in Sardinia Mining in Sardinia Tourist attractions in Sardinia Museums in Sardinia Mining museums

History

See also

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

External links