AREAS OF THE HISTORICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL GEO-MINERAL PARK OF SARDINIA

The island's mineral deposits, different in shape, structure and consistency, have been the subject of exploitation since ancient times. The extreme variability of the deposit characteristics has severely tested the skills of the "Miner" who from time to time found himself in the need to refine the excavation and support techniques by adapting them to the most diverse situations.
This "Mining Art" expressed by the "Miners" was matched by a long series of successes by "Mineralurgists" and "Metallurgists" who, with intense research and great tenacity, were able to overcome obstacles of all sorts, obtaining commendable results.
Technical skills, intelligence and profuse generosity have led the Sardinian mining industry to goals of international importance. As evidence of the ancient and extensive mining adventure, the profound signs of mining work remain, especially in the eight areas described below. These areas, in addition to bringing together particular moments of Sardinian mining activity, contain within them important historical-environmental values ​​which together are representative of a unique system in the Mediterranean area.
To represent the synthesis from a historical, technical and scientific point of view of Sardinia's mining activity, 8 areas were taken into consideration which together constitute the Sardinia Geomining Park system. The delimitation of the individual areas was defined through the overlap of the different emerging values ​​in the territory considered. In addition to the geo-mining aspects, which constitute the characteristic element of each individual area, particular attention was paid to the naturalistic values ​​and archaeological evidence which, to a significant extent, are present in the mining areas, often intimately connected to them, so much so as to constitute a 'original form of landscape, not only of economic, but also social and cultural scope.
The 8 areas that are part of the Park are located in the four provinces of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia and comprise, overall, a total surface area of ​​approx. 3800 km2, which affects the territories of 86 municipalities.