Museo di Arte e Storia delle Miniere

Museum of Art and History of Mining

Useful Information

Location:	Palazzetto delle Armi, piazza Matteotti, Massa Marittima. (43.051436, 10.890547)
Open:	APR to OCT daily 15-17:30. [2010]
Fee:	Adults EUR 1.50, Reduced EUR 1. Groups: Adults EUR 1. [2010]
Classification:
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Museo di Arte e Storia delle Miniere, Palazzetto delle Armi, piazza Matteotti, Massa Marittima, Tel: +39-0566-902289, Fax: +39-0566-901808. E-mail:
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History

Geology

Description

The Museo di Arte e Storia delle Miniere (Museum of Art and History of Mining) is located in the Palazzetto delle Armi in the center of Massa Marittima. The Palazzetto delle Armi was built in 1443 by a Lombard master named Jacopo. It was used to store the arms of the city, hence the name. Th Palazzetto has two exhibition rooms on each of the two levels.

The first room shows the Etruscian history of the area. In the 7th century BC this place was named Vetulonia, the Etruscan city started mining and became very wealthy. The second room shows the Medieval history of Massa, the time when it was a Free City (1225-1335). Because of its mines it was called Massa Metallorum. On exhibit is the Codice Minerario Massetano (Massa Mining Code), a set of regulations for the mining activities in the Free City of Massa during the 13th century. The third room show a huge mineral exhibition, mostly minerals and ores from the area. The fourth room is dedicated to the development of mining between the 13th and 20th century. It shows maps of the mines, the mining area, and mining technology.