The Vecchia Officina (“Old Workshop”) Museum

The Vecchia Officina (“Old Workshop”) Museum is located 6 km from the town of Capoliveri, at the gateway to the Calamita Mine, in the heart of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park.
Accessed along the old road once used by the miners, the museum is housed in the former Cantiere Vallone workshops. The exhibition of original objects and furnishings provides an understanding of the miners’ lives and of the history of the mines and the area.
A number of locations from the mines, including the first aid station, the workshop and the accounts office, have been reconstructed using original materials. 
It is the ideal place to immerse yourself in the daily life of the miners and learn about mining methods, as well as the characteristics of the various ores and their possible uses.
Recent restoration work has provided the visitor experience with an additional room with more information about the ores and other minerals found locally.

This zone of Elba, already widely worked by the Etruscans and Romans in ancient times,  is not only a central location in the island’s mining history but also of particular interest for its flora and fauna, with a variegated vegetation including rare species, some endemic to the island.
An excellent starting-point for exploring the surrounding area, the Museum marks the beginning of various walking paths and of guided tours of the underground mines, not to mention routes to wild beaches and the trails of the famous “Bike Park”.