Iglesias, Masua Mine

The mine is located in a large area overlooking the sea. Within the vast mining complex of Masua, the site of “Porto Flavia” can currently be visited.
The concession of the mine was entrusted to the Montesanto Company in 1859 and the progressive expansion added other buildings to the plants essential for mineral processing (the laveria, the cheese factory and the foundry).
Later, other buildings were built, located on different levels in relation to the trend of the slope of Punta Cortis, which opens to the seaside valley with the calcareous rock of Sugarloaf Mountain. This faces the “medieval” tower of Porto Flavia, certainly one of the most original mining service buildings: it bears the name of the daughter of the engineer Cesare Vecelli and constitutes the exit of the tunnel built between 1922 and 1924 to facilitate the transport of the mineral to be loaded directly onto ships through a cantilever pier. The insertion of the building into the limestone rock, which can naturally be appreciated from the sea, is particularly impressive.
Still towards the sea are the enrichment plants built after the war and the station where the mineral arrived, at the waste basin, which profoundly altered the landscape.
Masua is one of the simplest settlements, but it has common characteristics of a typical unplanned village that developed in relation to the business fortunes of the company that owns the concession. Even today, it preserves a series of buildings set amidst greenery on differences in height protected by stone ballasts. Despite the simplicity of the construction, the administrative headquarters, located on a terrace that gives it an even symbolic role of pre-eminence, stands out for its two-story volume and central balcony, which distinguish it from other houses, and for the garden, located on the lower level.
The other buildings are mainly functional, without conceding anything to decorative aspects.

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

Bibliography
S. Mezzolani-A. Simoncini, Sardinia to save. Landscapes and mine architecture, Nuoro, Archivio Fotografico Sardo, 1993, pp. 176-187;
F. Masala, “Mining settlements. Forms, Architectures, Problems”, in Founding Cities in Sardinia, edited by A. Lino, Cagliari, 1998, pp. 36-50.

How to get there
The Masua mine is part of the municipality of Iglesias and can be reached by taking a detour from the SS 126 towards Funtanamare.

Tag

Structure category: industrial archeology

Content type: Sites or plants
Mine

Usability: Open

Province: Sud Sardegna

Common: Iglesias

Macro Territorial Area: South Sardinia

POSTAL CODE: 09016

Address: SP 83 - località Masua

Telephone: +39 0781 274507

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

Website: www.iglesiasturismo.it

Facebook: www.facebook.com/visitportoflavia

Information on tickets and access: The hours vary according to the season: from April to October it can be visited every day, from November to March only on Saturday and Sunday. 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 takes place flat, on a fairly regular dirt road. For this reason, with the necessary evaluations referring to individual cases, the site is accessible, with the presence of an accompanying person, to those with motor disabilities. Wear appropriate clothing when visiting a museum site. Avoid showing up in a swimsuit and wearing skimpy clothing. Wear closed shoes. Tickets for guided tours can be purchased: the ticket office on the site, online, at the ticket office at the Tourist Office in Piazza Municipio.

Access mode: For a fee

Tickets :