Calamita Mines

The Capoliveri mines are located in the heart of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, on Monte Calamita, which takes its name from magnetite, the iron mineral present in these mines.

For centuries the mines were the main source of work for the people of Elba, especially for the villages of Rio Marina, Rio Elba and Capoliveri. After more than 3,000 years of mining, production was suspended in 1980, although the deposits have still not been exhausted.
To discover the fascinating and ancient history of this iron mineral and retrace the steps of the miners, visitors can take a guided tour of the Ginevro and Calamita mines and the Old Workshop Museum.

The Old Workshop Museum
Accessible along the old miners’ road, the Old Workshop Museum is housed inside the Vallone mine workshops. This exhibition of original objects, furnishings, old documents and maps provides an insight into the life of the miners, the history of the mines and the territory. Some rooms, such as the infirmary, the workshop and the office, have been reconstructed in the Museum, using original materials recovered from the sites. The Museum is the starting point for several trekking routes and guided tours to the mines, beaches and paths of Monte Calamita.

The Ginevro Mines
The only underground mine on the Island of Elba, this mine is the largest magnetite deposit in Europe and is the place which encapsulates the most recent history of the Capoliveri mine and its technological achievements.

During the early 1900s, surveys in the area confirmed the presence of very compact Magnetite. This mineral contains a far higher percentage of iron than other minerals found on Elba and was prized greatly in the iron and steel industries. Open-cast work began around the 1930s, but the miners also dug short sections of tunnels at 81, 54, 30 and 6 metres above sea level to explore the size and richness of the deposit, discovering that it extends far below sea level.

The Vallone Mine
The Vallone is an open-air mine which is the largest and oldest of the mines in Capoliveri. It bears the signs of a thousand years of work, like the wrinkles on the faces of the old miners who retire and contemplate the sea. The traces that remain of this mine are from the recent past, and the remaining machinery was still in use until 1981, the year in which all mines on Elba were closed down. The site was mined intensively from the 19th century, while the first half of the 20th century saw the introduction of increasingly advanced equipment and technology, which changed the profile of the mountains and the coast.