Museo Civico Archeologico del Distretto Minerario (Rio nell'Elba)

The Civic Archaeological Museum of the Mining District in Rio nell'Elba presents the island's mining and metallurgical history from prehistoric burials to the Middle Ages. Its collections connect archaeological discoveries with the mineral landscape of eastern Elba.

Why it matters

The museum shows that Elba's metalworking history began long before the modern iron mines. Finds from the Eneolithic, Etruscan and Roman periods document the long relationship between the island's communities and its mineral resources.

What to notice

Among the oldest material are finds from around ninety burials in the Grotta di San Giuseppe, including vases and arrowheads. Other displays include objects from the Buraccio necropolis, remains of furnaces and ore-washing basins from San Bennato, and Roman stuccoes from the Villa di Capo Castello. Minerals collected by former miners form the Collezione della Gente di Rio, established in 2008.

Context and history

The museum brings together archaeological finds from the eastern mining district, including material collected by nineteenth-century antiquarian Raffaello Foresi. It is managed by the Parco Minerario dell'Isola d'Elba and belongs to the Sistema Museale dell'Arcipelago Toscano.