Italy’s Mining Heritage

By Dr Marcello de Angelis – Director Italian Subsidiaries

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Italy, a country well known for art, architecture and food, also has a vast industrial heritage linked to the mining and processing of

minerals. Viewed through the lens of Italy’s long documented mining history, it is possible to understand how Italy is one of the

places where culture and art developed in conjunction with the extraction of ore.

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The Italian mining history dates back to the early Italian populations, including the Roman Empire, and was revived in the Middle

Ages. The first Mining Code was published in Massa Marittima (Tuscany) in the middle of the 14th century, a code that is essentially

still in force nowadays all over the world with the exception of a few countries.

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Mining sites are the typical combination of industrial, archaeological, cultural, historical and landscape heritage around which social

aggregations and communities developed, thus determining the essential conditions for the economic and social growth of the

country. The remains and testimonies of over twenty-eight centuries of mining activity along the peninsula provide a considerable

wealth of scientific, anthropological and cultural-historical data.

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In the early 80s, for political rather than commercial reasons, practically all mines – particularly those that were managed by

majority State-controlled entities – were closed or decommissioned. Many sites underwent reclamation to respond to

environmental issues and, on the whole, there was no national plan to continue with mining activities.

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At present, Italy has a comprehensive mining law which, although dated to 1927, is very similar to countries where mining is one of

the major revenue-producing activities. Environmental legislation associated with mineral activities is also well defined and in line

with European Union (EU) directives.

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The Italian mining law defines minerals in two categories: The first category (minerals of national interest) includes metals,

metalloids, graphite, precious stones etc.; the second category (minerals of local interest) includes peat, building and dimension

stones, silica sands, quartz, and bentonite. Mineral exploration and mining is permitted for individuals or companies that submit a

request for an exploration or a mining licence.

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Over the last decade mineral activity in Italy has undergone a resurgence: a number of companies, mainly from Australia, have

recognised the potential to develop old mining districts in the light of new concepts and technologies.

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This change is seen favourably by the Italian government and several permits have been granted for a number of commodities,

most of which include the so-called Critical Raw Materials (CRM) defined by EU directives and aimed at promoting mineral

extraction and processing within the member States in order to lessen dependence from other countries.

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Italy’s Government is strongly in favour of the EU’s Critical Raw Material Act (CRMA) having called for the “reopening mines or

creating new mines” to revive Italy’s strong mining legacy. The Government is open to reform the legislation to create a supportive

environment for producing CRMs domestically, boosting economic self-resilience and energy transition. Altamin is a fast mover in this space, having been active in restarting Italy’s long dormant but prospective mineral districts since 2015