Museo dei Minerali Elbani

Parco Minerario dell’Isola d’Elba - Mineral Park of Rio Marina - Elba Island Mine Park

Useful Information

Location:	In the town Rio Marina, in the Palazzo del Burò, close to the harbour. (42.816288, 10.427870)
Open:	APR to JUN daily 9:30-12:30, 15:30-18:30. JUL to AUG daily 9:30-12:30, 16:30-19:30. SEP to OCT daily 9:30-12:30, 15:30-18:30. [2020]
Fee:	Museum: Adults EUR 2.50. Hiking: Adults EUR 9, School Pupils EUR 8. Mineral collecting: Per Person EUR 5. Train: Adults EUR 12, Children (4-12) EUR 7.50, Children (0-3) free. Groups: Adults EUR 10, School Pupils EUR 10. Adventure: Adults EUR 18, Children (4-12) EUR 9. [2020]
Classification:	Iron Mine Fee Mining
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:	Museum: self guided. Hiking: D=3 h. Mineral collecting: D=2 h. Train: D=80 min. Adventure:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Parco Minerario dell’Isola d’Elba S.r.l., Palazzo del Burò, Via Magenta 26, 57038 Rio Marina (LI), Tel: +39-0565-962088. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

~1800	beginning of mining at Cantiere Falcacci.
1860	beginning of hematite mining at Cantiere Bacino.
1940	beginning of mining at Cantiere Delle Conche.
1960	Cantiere Falcacci closed.
1960s	beginning of mining at Cantiere Valle Giove.
1970	Cantiere Delle Conche closed.
1979	Cantiere Bacino closed.
1980s	Cantiere Valle Giove closed.

Geology

Description

The Museo dei Minerali Elbani (Museum of Elba Minerals), also named Museo Minerario di Rio Marina, is located inside the Palazzo del Burò. This building once hosted the Management of the Società concessionaria delle miniere dell’Elba. Today it hosts the archive of the closed mine and the museum. The museum has a collection of more than 1,000 minerals and rocks of extraordinary beauty. It also contains replicas of parts of the mine, like the workshop of the blacksmith and a mine tunnel with machinery and mining tools. The exhibit is completed by photographs and historic films of the mines at Rio Marina and Capoliveri.

Beneath the museum there is also the possibility to visit the Parco Minerario di Rio Marina. It is known as Mineral Park of Rio Marina, Island of Elba Mineral Park, and Mineral Park of Elba Island. This is a huge open cast mining area at the northwest end of the town. The only way to enter this mine is with such a guided tour. As the site is very interesting for mineral collectors, one of the tours allows the collecting of minerals. The main minerals found on the site are quartz, elbaite, goethite, and white and green marble. All tours are available only for groups with reservation.

The Hiking tour is a visit by foot along the main roads. The visited mining sites are Cantiere Bacino, Cantiere Valle Giove, Cantiere Falcacci, and Cantiere Conche. The mineral collecting tour gives a short historic and geologic overview. Then the participants are allowed to collect minerals. The most common minerals are haematite and pyrite. The train ride is the third tour, intended primarily for people who are not able to walk long distances. A small tourist train carries the visitors to the Cantiere di Valle Giove, where they are allowed to collect some minerals. And finally there is the Adventure tour which includes a ride on the 8-seater VM90, an off-road military vehicle of the Italian army. The sites are the same, Cantiere Bacino, Cantiere Valle Giove, Cantiere Falcacci, and Cantiere Conche.