aspollino DISCENDERIA RIBOLLA R sso Fo P. S. FERIOLO P. ARGENTA P. POGGIO P. CASA PAPI P. BENI MORETTO PISA P. 6 EMPOLP.I RIBOLLA P. 5 AREZZO P. S. ANDREAA r i b o l l a a M i N i N G W a l K P. 5 MontevarchiP. COSTANTINO LIVORNO Poggibonsi P. COMUNERIBOLLA DI ROCCASTRADA NORDR OVEST The history of ribolla begins when natural Rosignano SIENA Marittimo P. NUOVO P. FICORENZRTE ESE P. 7 (LITTORIO) deposits of brown coal were discovered along Cecina Monteroni Sinalunga the river raspollino, around the year 1835. Castagneto d’Arbia P. 5 TER Carducci P. 7 BIS The first mines were digged during the Thirties Massa Marittima and Forties in the Nineteenth century, during ROCCASTRADA P. TOSCSCANO Campiglia Abbadia spollino the government of leopoldo ii di lorena. The Marittima San Salvatore ISOLA RIBOLLA Ra DI CAPRAIA sso first settlement, which then will develop into Piombino P. Follonic1 a Fo P. 8 BIS the mining town, was built around the mining Portoferraio GROSSETO P. FOLLONICA EDIFICIOScansano shaft named “ribolla”. The train track built in Manciano 1892 allowed increasing the production of the ISOLA D’ELBA CERNITA P. 8 RAFFO mine while decreasing transportation expenses. P. 1 BIS ORBETELLO Nevertheless the main development and popu- From livorno: on highway SS1, take theP. exit2 P. 2 BIS ROMA lation increase of ribolla occurs in the Twentieth Gavorrano Scalo and follow the direction to ribolla. RIBOLLA century, in particular in the year 1924, when the From Siena: on highway 223/E78, take the exit Civitella Marittima and follow Montecatini Company becomes the only owner the direction to roccastrada,P. VIGN than to ribolla.A a mining of the mine. The increasing energy demand dur- From Grosseto: on highway SS1, take the exit Giuncarico and follow the P. 10 direction to ribolla. ing the First and the Second World War deter- a P. 3 BIS EDIFICIO mines the need to push the production of the mine, which in 1942 reaches 270 thousand tons lonic l walkCOMPRESSORI of coal. This production increase is in turn par- Fo P. 3 aspollino allel to the manpower increase. in 1947 more te te ronmental safety. The working conditions and DISCENDERIA RIBOLLA R sso RoccastRada town Hall Fo P. S. FERIOLO than 3700 men are employed in the mine. right personal safety of the mining workers are getting 8,rren corso Roma P. ARGENTA P. POGGIO th P. CASA PAPI P. BENI MORETTO around this period, when people are attracted to worse and worse until the morning of May 4 , +39 To 0564 561111 P. RIBOLLA P. 6 P. 5 P. S. AANDREA Fax +39 0564 561205 P. 5 P. COSTANTINO OVEST P. RIBOLLA NORDR the mine looking for employment opportunities, 1954 a tremendous explosion takes the lives of cultural office 0564 561230 P. NUOVO P. CORTESE P. 7 (LITTORIO) P. 5 TER P. 7 BIS the Montecatini Company starts laying-off the [email protected] P. TOSSCCANO 43 miners and destroys the Camorra mine. The spollino Ra P. 1 sso Public library 0564 561242 Fo P. 8 BIS mining workers. The social condition in town court case, begun shortly after the explosion, P. FOLLONICA EDIFICIO [email protected] CERNITP.A 9 PCAMORRA. 8 RAFFO P. 1 BIS becomes so critical and desperate that the min- ends in 1958, when the judge dismisses all the Percorso P. 2 P. 2 BIS Porta del Parco archeologico e tecnologico P. 9 BISP. VIGNA ers are engage in a severe strike, also known as charges against the managers and owners of the P. 10 delle colline Metallifere Grossetane a P. 3 BIS EDIFICIO the “the five months fight”. This fight, against the lonic l COMPRESSORI mine. The fate of ribolla becomes clear in 1959, Mining History Research centre Fo P. 3 te te rren extremely long working hours and poor working 3, Piazza della libertà - Ribolla, 0564 578033 To when all the mines are shut down. after a brief [email protected] P. 9 CAMORRA conditions, however, does not bring to a positive Percorso decommissioning, any trace of what used to be MaPPa dEI PoZZI P. 9 BIS layout result. The newly hired manager, Dr. Padroni, the primary motivation of life for the population REGIONE Massimiliano Marcucci - Patrizia Martini TOSCANA determines that the mine is not productive any dver • 0564 967139 dver of ribolla suddenly disappears. The only reason a Pictures and text by Giuseppe orfino REGIONE TOSCANA more and that significant measures need to be that saved ribolla from becoming a ghost town C&P some pictures are from the book taken in order to reduce the operational costs. was the opening of new chemical and indus- “la miniera a memoria” (Effigi, 2004) Even the technique used for the exploitation trial plants in the nearby towns of Gavorrano, www.comune.roccastrada.gr.it of the mine is driven by cost rather than envi- boccheggiano, Scarlino and Piombino. PERCORSIwww.ribolla2004.it DI MINIERA r i b o l l a a M i N i N G W a l K 1 2 3 4 HiSToriC PlaCES 1. The Movie theatre. built with the contribution of the mining workers around the Forties, this was the place where the social life of the inhabitants of ribolla took place. The movie theatre hosted happening nights, opera, and musicals famous during the forties Diaccia and fifties. in 1954 it was used as funeral home for the 37 5 2. Dorms (today primary and secondary school). built during lone Sp31 the forties, they offered a place to sleep and to eat (room and Via della board) to the mining workers who came from outside town. Co a Sardegna llac Vi beginning late sixties, they have been utilized as primary and chia P secondary school. Vi PERCVi Sp31 OR- a Ab Vi a F 3. Camerotti (nowadays houses) The first dorms were built dur- a Vi ruzz Umbr a l i iume a de ing the First World War by the Société Générale des lignites en i tore Vi ni a di a de n Giardi i Vi Sp31 a Mont Via dei F italie, owner of the mine during that period. The dorms, also Via emassi Mi iori Via dei Liguria Giardini known as “camerotti” (large common rooms) were designed Piazza della Piazza delle rghi Libertà Regioni be to provide a place to sleep for the miners who came from out i Via del ia degli Al o V rc or Laghetto del Pa a Via r of town. O a 6 Via Santa Bar b Dormit Via V. 4. rooms and bathrooms for the mining workers who came Ve Largo nezia Centurie from outside town. These were built during the thirties. V Sp20 ia To 5. Company houses (today residential houses). scan 6. Miners Memorial Monument, by Vittorio basaglia, 1984 a 7. Discenderia ribolla. Miners used this inclined plane for N 7 ramps to pull wagons up over rough ground. Via 8. lampisteria. Mining lamp storage lano Firenze Mi Vi 9. Mining shaft named ribolla and mining winch (nowadays a Pr house) at o 10. Cernita. Here the brown coal was selected and shipped via SI D I MI- a train to the train station of Giuncarico. The new cernita was Vi M 8 built to replace the old wooden cernita. 11. Mining shaft 10. it is the most modern mining shaft in Via ribolla. built in 1951, it reached a depth of 333 meters Torino L 12. Mining shaft 9, named “Camorra”. The mining shaft number K M 9, that reached a depth of 300 meters, was excavated near the farm named Camorra in 1948; this mining shaft assumed the name of the farm shortly after. L K J 9 13. Nearby Camorra mining shaft, Monument by Emilio Trabella (Zonin) 14. Electrical Cabin and suburbs named reparto 15. Hospital (nowadays house and office) NIERA 16. Montecatini headquarters (nowadays house).