89° Congresso della Società Geologica Italiana SIMP (Catania 12-14 settembre 2018)

MINING SITES: FROM INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE TO CULTURAL HERITAGE

FROM MINING ACTIVITY, TO REMEDIATION, CONSERVATION, ENHANCEMENT AND ENJOYMENT FOR
CULTURAL AND TOURIST PURPOSES
-
Roberta Carta*, Marco Di Leginio*, Fiorenzo Fumanti*, Maria Lettieri*, Agata Patanè*, Manuel
Ramello°, Domenico Savoca^
*ISPRA – Dipartimento per il Servizio Geologico d’Italia
^ANIM – Associazione Nazionale Ingegneri Minerari
°AIPAI – Associazione Italiana per il Patrimonio Archeologico ed Industriale
agata.patane@isprambiente.it

The extractions of mineral resources from mines and quarries has represented the main working
activities of several Italian communities. Former mines throughout the country number around
2,990, according to public records going from 1870 to 2014. Several thousands are the closed
quarries, many of these was used for the realization of the architectural and artistic beauties of the
Italian cities.
Mining sites are cultural assets that fall within the natural, historical, artistic, landscaping,
archaeological, cultural and industrial heritage to be protected and valued. In some case, the mining
sites are rehabilitated as “open museums”, eco-museums, mining parks, and so on. The recognition
of cultural value will create increased awareness amongst professional workers and to the public.
In October 2015, a “Memorandum of Understanding” was signed between ISPRA, MISE, Lombardy
region and the main Italian Mining Parks and Museums, for the establishment of the "National
Network of Italian Mining Parks and Museums (ReMi)". The network aimed both at connecting all
the sites involved in the recovery of abandoned mining areas as industrial heritage tourism resource
of the territory, and also at strengthening the regulatory framework. It is intention to create a geo-
data base on line to make possible an exchange of information among various contests singled out
and to support the arrangement of a tourist route between parks, museum and mine eco-museum.

The session wants to be an exchange of view for stakeholder to make a point about the different
problems linked to the following tasks:
- Mining sites still requiring a reclamation security and their prevision of restoration and exploitation
- Different kind of restoration/exploitation in Italy and best practices for museum planning and
management of mining spaces
- Management model adopted in the different situation and difficulties connected to the absence of
legal framework in reference to the transformation from “mining deposit” to “cultural deposit”;
- The possibility of re-use of mining empty;
- Mine Waste Management
- Museum experiences in Europe