Collection of the minerals of Elba from the people of Rio

The collection of the minerals of Elba from the people of Rio was founded in 2002 with the intention to witness the mining activity of eastern Elba and thanks to the commitment of the Municipality of Rio nell’Elba, which responded to the requests to preserve the memories expressed by the last miners and inhabitants of the village.  So, in the museum there are about 200 samples of notable scientific and collectable interest, belonging to the private collections of Rio’s citizens, who have generously loaned them for exhibition to the Municipality of Rio nell’Elba.

The collection begins with a series of splendid examples of minerals in a journey through the history – long, fascinating and sometimes mysterious – of the iron mines, which are closely linked to the fates of the population of eastern Elba until the last decades of the 20th century.

The historic, scientific and cultural value of the collection, which merits being conserved, is thus valorised by offering it for public enjoyment during the visit to the Mining District Archaeological Museum.

The selection of minerals is a testimony, even indirectly, to the story of people in mining that consumed health, youth, and life, as well as the villages that have changed in appearances and customs, the communities that came to life, according to models of behaviour and mentalities never before known.