Iglesias, San Giovanni Mine - Santa Barbara cave

The plants are located in an area with lush vegetation. Granted in 1867 to the Gonnesa Mining Company Limited, the mine passed to other companies until it became public in 1982.
An impressive entrance with a concrete shelter gives access to the plants already located on the road and then distributed on the slopes of the hill in a vast surface, profoundly modified by human action. There are buildings from different periods built with different technologies and capable of highlighting the progressive evolution of the execution practice of the mineral extraction activity. Even the machinery, often in disrepair, is evidence of the necessary updating of the processing mechanisms that make the mine a significant example of industrial archeology. Within the San Giovanni mining complex, the site of the “Grotta di Santa Barbara” can currently be visited.
In the highest part there is the village of Norman in the middle of lush woods that give way to an increasingly barren and severe landscape as the mountain rises.
The mine is part of the Geominerary, Historical and Environmental Park of Sardinia, recognized by UNESCO.

History of studies
The Iglesias mining plants are mentioned in several works on industrial archeology in Sardinia.

Bibliography
S. Mezzolani-A. Simoncini, Sardegna da salvare. Paesaggi e architettura delle miniere, Nuoro, Archivio Fotografico Sardo, 1993, pp. 213-223.

How to get there
The San Giovanni lead-zinc mine is located a short distance from Iglesias along the SS 126, in front of the town of Bindua.

Tag

Structure category: industrial archeology

Content type: Mine
Sites or plants

Usability: Open

Province: South Sardinia

Common: Iglesias

Macro Territorial Area: South Sardinia

POSTAL CODE: 09016

Address: SS 126 - località San Giovanni

Telephone: +39 0781 274507

E-mail: infoturistiche@comune.iglesias.ca.it

Website: www.iglesiasturismo.it/grotta-di-santa-barbara-e-miniera-di-san-giovanni

Facebook: facebook.com/Grottasantabarbara

January - December

Saturday - Sunday

10:30 AM - 3:30 PM

Information on tickets and access: Within the San Giovanni mining complex, the site of the “Grotta di Santa Barbara” can currently be visited. Tickets for the guided tour of the Santa Barbara Cave can be purchased: online at the property's website, at the ticket office at the Iglesias Tourist Office in Piazza Municipio and at the site's ticket office. Reservations by phone or e-mail are not accepted. The chosen time is indicated on the ticket. It is advisable to arrive at the ticket office, with a paper or digital ticket receipt, 15 minutes in advance. The delay results in a missed visit and does not entitle you to a refund. The guided tour lasts about 1 hour in Porto Flavia, an hour and a half to the Santa Barbara Cave. Wear appropriate clothing when visiting a museum site. Avoid showing up in a swimsuit and wearing skimpy clothing. Closed shoes are mandatory (no flip flops, slippers and clogs). Inside mining sites, it is forbidden to make videos without written authorization from the City of Iglesias (it is only possible to take photographs).

Access mode: For a fee

Tickets :

Integer : 15 €, minors from 13 to 17 years old, adults from 18 to 65 years old, .

Reduced : 13 €, groups of at least 15 people, .

Reduced : 12 €, children from 6 to 12 years old, adults over 65 years old, school classes, .

Services information: In the months of January, February and March, guided tours to the “Grotta di Santa Barbara” start staggered at the following times: 10:30 12:00; 14:00; 15:30; the guided tour lasts about 1:30 h. The guided tour involves entering the mine by means of a motorized train and an elevator; access to the cave is through a spiral staircase. Guided tours are available in Italian and English.

Update

16/1/2025 - 12:13

Services

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