From disused mines to mining museums: the case of Serbariu

Abstract

The Serbariu coal mine characterised the economy of Sulcis and represented one of Italy's most important energy resources between the 1930s and 1950s. In the 1960s mining activity ceased and after a long period of abandonment the site was redeveloped, enhanced and given a new lease of life, becoming a place of memory, included in the major European tourist circuits. The contribution intends to investigate what were the key events that allowed Carbonia and its mine not to become a cathedral in the desert but to be once again, thanks to the mine, a pole of attraction for thousands of tourists who visit it every year.