MINIERA DI MONTEPONI

This vast mine extends south of the city. Lead, zinc and cadmium were extracted from it. The Societa di Monteponi was founded in 1850 to exploit the metal mines at the exit of Iglesias. The company grew considerably in the 1960s, before finally ceasing all activity in 1971. The remains of these mines are impressive and bear witness to the unceasing activity that animated this place in the 19th century. Today, it is an almost abandoned site that looks like a ghost town. The Monteponi mine used to operate independently. The miners, who may have numbered as many as 1,000, were housed on site. There were also stores where they could spend their pay. The industrial mining complex of Monteponi developed around the elegant Liberty-style Bellavista Palace, where the mine management had set up its headquarters in 1866. In a building not far from there you can see the imposing and very evocative fresco, La Miniera, by Aligi Sassu. The Villamarina gallery was dug from 1852, at an altitude of 174 metres. It was named after the Viceroy of Sardinia, the Marquis of Villamarina. It is connected to the two most important shafts of the mine. The Vittorio Emanuele shaft, dug in 1863, allowed the miners to pass through and to bring up the ore. The Sella shaft, dug in 1874, housed the pumps that extracted water from the galleries. The visit also focuses on the compressor room which housed a steam turbine generating electricity.