Mining Museum of Abbadia San Salvatore: timetables and history

September 23, 2014

The Mining Museum of Abbadia San Salvatore is a testimony to that period in the nineteenth century in which the Tuscan village, home to an ancient and prestigious monastery of Lombard origins, turned into an important industrial center, thanks to its rich cinnabar’s deposit and the refining of said cinnabar in mercury.

The museum, housed in the ancient building of the Clock Tower, offers a rich collection of minerals, equipment, tools and photographs, all telling the history of mercury and of those communities whose stories were closely related to it: from the Neolithic populations to the Etruscans to the Romans, up to modern times. The museum consists of five themed rooms named Geology, Amiata and mercury, History of a mine, Work in the gallery and Other assets. The itinerary also includes a visit inside a tunnel about 300 meters long, where the workplace and daily life in the mining area are portrayed; you can cover this distance by traveling on a quaint little train.

The mining activity of Abbadia San Salvatore slowly declined during the second half of the twentieth century and finally stopped in 1972, due to the crisis in the global mercury demand and because of the international competition. Since then, the village has converted its economy on tourism, in both winter and summer times, and the Mining Museum represents one of its major attractions. Also worth visiting are the Museum of sacred objects, the medieval town with the Palace of the Podesta (dating back to the fifteenth century), and of course the famous Abbey of San Salvatore, which gives its name to the whole municipality.

The Mining Museum of Abbadia San Salvatore is located in piazzale Renato Rossaro 6, inside the mining area of the town. It’s open every day from June 15 to November 1 and from December 22 to January 6, as well as on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, April 25, May 1 and June 2. At other times of the year, it is open by reservation only and for groups of 10 people at least. Visiting hours are from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Guided tours are available with former miners. The entrance ticket costs 6 € (while the price for reduced tickets and groups is of 5 €).

For information and reservations, please contact Consorzio Terre di Toscana at +39 0577 778324 or by email: info@terreditoscana.net.

These are just some of our luxury properties in Italy that are available for weekly rentals: do not hesitate to contact us for any request!

Read more about

Browse news by destination.

Related news