La Piccola Miniera

La Piccola Miniera – Mining park in Porto Azzurro, Elba Island

La Piccola Miniera is a family-run mining park on the provincial road from Porto Azzurro towards Rio Marina, about 500 metres from the town centre. It was created by Emilio Giacomelli, who has been working hard stones for over forty years, to tell the long mining history of Elba in a simple way.

The mine tour

You board the mine train and ride into a tunnel rebuilt with natural, authentic materials. Along the way you see how Elba's minerals were extracted: the hematite working, the pyrite working and the areas where miners rested. Trains leave every half hour.

The Etruscan Mining Museum

The museum tells the story of the Etruscans on Elba and of iron working. It has more than nineteen display cases of minerals from the island, each with a card and a photo of the place where it was found, four furnaces reproduced in cross-section to show how hematite was fired, a video explaining how they worked and a series of frescoes.

Workshop, showroom and tasting

• Workshop: the artisans show how a stone becomes a piece of jewellery; almost everything on display is made here.
• Showroom: minerals and jewellery for sale, also in the online shop.
• Wine bar and tasting: Elban wine, honey and olive oil; the tasting is included in the full-tour ticket.
• Children's workshops: kids work Elban minerals with their own hands.

Good to know

• Open from spring to autumn and over Christmas: current hours and prices on the official website.
• Groups and schools by booking, coaches included: there is a large private car park.