Museo storico etnografico del minatore e cavatore

About the museum

The museum is in Vellano, on the Monte Pesciatino at about 600 metres above sea level, in one of the ten medieval castles of the Valleriana. It is dedicated to the “operai della pietra” (stone workers), whose hard labour made Vellano a renowned centre: there were many quarries of pietra serena, a grey sandstone that gave work to the local stonemasons. Only one quarry remains active today.

The stone was worked into ornaments, paving, bridge parapets, window sills and frames, and was prized throughout Tuscany and beyond. The museum, also known as La Miniera di Publio, is an in-situ museum, ecomuseum and visitor centre, with a route of quarry and mining tools and a collection of minerals.

The complex also includes a documentation centre with about 2,000 volumes on the subject and a hundred audiovisual cassettes, which can be consulted on request. Guided visits are led by experts in quarries and mines of various types, with the possibility of entering a mine.

Highlights

• Quarry and mining tools
• Mineral collection
• Guided visits with entry into a mine
• Library of about 2,000 volumes on stone and mines

Permanent exhibition

• Percorso su cave e miniere – Work tools, mineral collection and documentation on the working of pietra serena at Vellano.

Founded

1999

Visitors per year

approx. 6,000

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission according to the Museionline listing; guided visits to the mine must be arranged with the museum.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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