Civic Archaeology Museum in the Ore District of Rio nell'Elba

The Archaeological Museum of the Mining District tells the story of the eastern part of Elba, closely linked to the presence of mineral deposits, from the 3rd millennium BC to the Middle Ages.

The exhibition space consists of a single large hall. Among the oldest artifacts on display are the burial goods from the Eneolithic period found in about 90 burials in the Grotta di San Giuseppe, a collective burial site used by a community around the 3rd millennium BC: numerous flask-shaped vases and bowls of various sizes, along with flint arrowheads, jasper and other bone and bronze objects used for hunting and warfare, all testifying to a population still largely unknown, as the location of the ancient village has yet to be identified.

The museum also houses Bronze Age and Early Iron Age materials from the Raffaello Foresi collection, some archaic Etruscan grave goods, and Hellenistic grave goods from the Buraccio necropolis.

The exhibition also includes artifacts from the mining site of San Bennato (near Cavo), where excavations revealed remains of furnaces, basins, and channels used for washing the ore.

Also of great interest are several stuccoes from the Roman Villa of Capo Castello, located on the Cavo promontory in a dominant position overlooking the sea. This was a vacation residence for Roman patricians.

In 2008, to enrich the museum itinerary, the valuable minerals of the People of Rio Collection were added. This collection was donated by the last miners of Rio nell’Elba to the Municipality, to preserve and share the history of the mines on the Rio side and the story of their lives, inextricably linked to their hard work.

Video by the Municipality of Rio nell’Elba