The white gold

In ancient times, some of the most important caves in Italy were in our region. Volterra for example, owed its strong prospe­rity to its mineral resour­ces and the related mining activity. Indeed, the most important cave in Tuscany was the salt mine of Saline di Volterra. Salt as source of prospe­rity? Yes, because salt, the white gold, is vital for us humans. As descen­dants of organisms that swam in the ocean it is essen­tial to us. Hence, salt has become a major ingre­di­ent of our diet. However, salt was diffi­cult to obtain. Also, until the inven­tion of the refri­ge­ra­tor, salt was also the best means of preser­ving food. Salt was so important that it was used as a source of taxation. It was not until 1974 that the state monopoly for the sale of salt in Italy was overtur­ned. Today, the best salt in Italy, with a purity of 99.99%, is extra­c­ted in Saline di Volterra.

Mining in ancient times

The Colline Metal­li­fere, i.e. the metal-bearing hills south of Volterra, were to the Etruscans during the Iron Age what the Klondike was to the Wild West during the Gold Rush. However, the diffe­rence is that they were not freely acces­si­ble to indivi­dual adven­tu­r­ers. Instead, mining was under strict control and manage­ment by the aristo­cracy of Volterra. There are quite some tiny shafts in the forests of the Colline Metal­li­fere dated to that period. They can be visited in the Parco dei Pozzini near Massa Marit­tima and its Museo della Miniera. Also, close to holiday home Podere Palazzone, similar caves can be found, abando­ned and overgrown. Such as, in the Parco Naturale di Monte­rufoli and in the forest at the foot of Montecastelli.

The Etruscans knew a lot about mining and digging. Indeed, they carved burial chambers into the soft limes­tone of Tuscany, which are repli­cas of their homes. One of them is under the Romanes­que church of Pomarance. Another is freely acces­si­ble in the fields behind Pomarance. Those in the exten­sive Parco Archeo­lo­gico of Populo­nia are worth to be on your things to see list.

Mining in the Middle Ages and speleology

A vivid insight into the history of mining up to the last century is provi­ded by the disused, copper mine at Monte­ca­tini near Volterra. It has been conver­ted into a very interes­t­ing museum complex. On the other side, a touch of adven­ture can be experi­en­ced at the Parco Archeo­mi­nera­rio di San Silves­tro. There, after walking through the tunnels and crossing them in old mine cars, you can visit the medieval castle of San Silves­tro enjoy­ing a wonderful view over the Maremma. One of the longest but above all the most specta­cu­lar stalac­tite cave in Italy is the Grotta del Vento. A must for all amateur speleo­lo­gists. There, visitors are guided through the mountain for several hours via narrow winding stair­ca­ses descen­ding shafts 30 meters deep.