Maremma is waiting to be discovered! It is not only made up of long golden beaches, crystal clear sea, villages and centuries-old castles, there is also a rougher Maremma, a land of butteri and mines. The history of the Maremma is closely linked to its mineral riches, concentrated in two main areas, the Metalliferous Hills of the Upper Grosseto Maremma to the north and the areas of Monte Amiata to the east. Iron, copper, silver, pyrite, mercury and cinnabar have always been have been mined and exploited.
A stop that cannot be missed for those who want to discover this lesser-known part is the Museum of Cast Iron Arts (MAGMA) in Follonica. Housed in the restored spaces of the Forno San Ferdinando, the MAGMA, the oldest building in the city, is a magical box that tells a story of ingenuity, art and passion: that of the Italian steel industry. At the museum, precious artifacts, flanked by the most advanced multimedia technologies, accompany young and old visitors on a virtual journey to discover a fantastic monument of industrial archeology.
Another place worthy of attention is the Massa Marittima Mine Museum . The Museum is the result of the transformation of an ancient mine quarry for construction material in which three tunnels used as a refuge during the Second World War were obtained. In 1980 the tunnels were set up by miners who reproduced the internal environment of a mine in a realistic way. The museum itinerary winds for about 700 meters, through secondary and main galleries. Therefore, the visitor will be able to relive the hard life of the miners and learn news and anecdotes that have characterized the territory of the Metalliferous Hills for centuries.
The monument dedicated to the miners involved in a tragic mine explosion in 1954, near Ribolla, cannot fail to be mentioned. The 43 victims are remembered with a day of celebrations on May 4 with Mass in the church of Saints Barbara and Paul, the deposition of the crown at the monument to the miner, in the presence of the mayor of Roccastrada, and other authorities.
If you are looking for a path to discover the long industrial tradition of the Tuscan Maremma, a journey back in time, from the contemporary era characterized by the steel industry to the most remote times characterized by the long mining tradition, take a look at our program of three days: Above the Maremma, under the mine .
