Ricerche di archeologia mineraria nell’area occidentale delle Prealpi Lombarde: scenari di conservazione e riqualificazione del “paesaggio culturale”

In the 18th and 19th centuries, there was a considerable development in mining activities in different regions of the Italian peninsula. Indeed, especially in the second hal of the 18th century, a renewed interest in the exploitation of mineral deposits, due to a growing demand of metals all over Europe, caused the gradual reopening of several ancient mines. For these reason settlements were established near mining sites, particularly in proximity to the Alps. Using various types of data and sources, both historical and archaeological, it is possible to reconstruct the history of these peculiar anthropical environments, on the basis of the geo-lithological and morphological features of given areas. Moreover, historical sources are important tools for the recovery and re-evaluation old mining sites, as well as for the reconstruction of the evolution of specific landscape in the broader spectrum og historical and technological trends. This paper examines a single case study, still poorly understood, concerning the mining deposits in the Pre-Alps of Western Lombardy. The hill of this area cannot be historically considered a remarkable mining district, such as the better known eastern mountain regions of Lombardy, nevertheless, excavation activities shaped this slopes of the Pre-Alps with distinctive infrastructures which still exist. This type of research represents an interesting way of increasing the environmental riches and cultural heritage of the Alps, through the establishment of mining parks, Geoparks and naturalistic or historical routes.