Things to do in Abbadia San Salvatore

The Abbadia San Salvatore mine went into operation at the end of the 19th century, and its opening caused a profound upheaval in the economic, social and cultural fabric. The mine became the economic linchpin of the community: artisans, laborers, peasants and shepherds became miners and the work, previously precarious and exposed to seasonal events, was transformed into a stable source of income, but these benefits were paid for with very hard work, dense with danger and particularly harmful. Around 1969/70 a world-scale mercury crisis opened up, which was caused mainly by ecological reasons, but also by the arrival of new producers, mainly developing countries, who were able to charge very low selling prices and thus were very competitive. Because of these difficulties, the entire mercury basin of Mount Amiata, including the Abbadia mine, ceased operations permanently in 1976. Today the museum exhibits and educational tours of the Mining Museum Park highlight the varieties and complexities of this mine's history. THE MUSEUM EXHIBITS Multimedia Museum "The Places of Mercury" The multimedia trail, opened in 2016, is a project of Studio Azzurro, a group of Italian artists, internationally known for creating video environments, sensitive and interactive environments. This installation, organized in the evocative spaces of the former machine shop, represents a place of emotions and suggestions. Video and audio emotions, which tell stories of people, who in the mine consumed their health and youth. Underground route "Gallery Level VII" After the visit to the Multimedia Museum, it is possible to board a mining train and travel a section of the gallery, where some particularly significant moments of work in the mine are explored, such as the excavation fronts containing cinnabar and the arrival of the wagons at the pit mouth, the evolution of the work systems from the 1920s through the 1950s is illustrated, in an evocative atmosphere of sounds and smells. Documentary Museum "Clock Tower" The Clock Tower building , built in 1898, designed by Bohemian engineer Vincenzo Spirek, constitutes what remains of the first "Spirek Furnaces" block. Since 2000 it has housed the Archivi Minerari Riuniti Amiatini, of which that of the Monte Amiata Society has a large prominence. On the first two floors can be visited the Documentary Museum, which illustrates the systems of ore excavation and metal extraction, the stages of work, the daily life of the miners, and the uses of mercury over time.