Porto Flavia is a man-made wonder located in the Iglesias highlands at the mining area of Masua on the southwest coast of Sardinia in Italy.
Although it was a mining site, it was not a mine, but a port of shipment for the material extracted from the nearby mines. It was designed by the Venetian engineer Cesare Vecelli and built in 1924 it took its name from the eldest daughter of the engineer himself
It is named after Flavia Vecelli, the daughter of Cesare Vecelli, who constructed and designed the port. The characteristics of the port make it unique in the world, and at the time of its construction it was an outstanding feat of engineering.
The entire port installation was built by digging two superimposed tunnels inside the mountain overlooking the sea: the upper one, where the materials extracted after arriving on the site via a Decauville railway were unloaded and the lower one from where, by means of a belt removable conveyor, the material was stowed directly on the ships at anchor. Between the two tunnels were arranged nine huge silos for the stowage of the material capable of holding up to 10.000 tons.
Porto Flavia is a UNESCO protected site and is one of the recommended destinations for visits to mining and industrial archeology in the area. There are daily guided tours in the tunnel, led by former IGEA workers or mining technicians.
Access : Coordinates: 39.337136, 8.412558 / Porto Flavia located near Nebida in the Iglesias comune of Italy.
Highlights :
- The Porto Flavia mine, inside the promontory overlooking Masua, in the territory of Iglesias, built between 1922 and 1924, is a daring work suspended between sky and sea, which allowed the direct loading of minerals, destined for the northern foundries. -European, on ships, drastically reducing transport times and costs.
- After shutting down in the 1960s, the loading station and mines have become an interesting tourist attraction: the tour costs 10 euros (6.50 euros for children from 6 to 12 years old and for those over 65, 8 euros for groups of at least 20 people), it should be booked in advance as tourist entry is restricted for security reasons.
- The Masua hub was a complex of several mining operations in the Sulcis area, a region of Sardinia rich in coal, sulphur, barium, zinc, lead, silver and other metals.In Masua you will be able to explore them live, in the museum of Mining Art and in that of the Machines of Iglesias you will retrace their evolution.
- The mining path of Santa Barbara, in the 400 kilometers of itinerary – 24 stages to be covered on foot or by mountain bike associates two cornerstones of Sulcis: mines and devotion.
- rock climbing : Scogliera di Porto Flavia : Rock climbing area for routes from 7a to 7c (french grades).Between 25 and 50 routes, from 6b to 7c. Bolting : big run out climbing
Max Height : 185 m.
Go next : The Blue Cave Masua , Grotta Azzurra / The seaside resort of Masua / The small beach of Porto Flavia, with a surrounding green pine forest, stands alongside the remains of the mining structure.
