Museo delle Miniere - Montecatini Val di Cecina

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The Caporciano mine is a historical copper mine situated about a kilometre from the village of Montecatini Val di Cecina.

Copper has been extracted in this area since the Etruscan era and in the 19th century the Montecatini Val di Cecina mine became the largest copper mine in Europe until its closure at the beginning of the 20th century.

Thanks to the municipal administration of Montecatini Val di Cecina and contributions offered by the Upper Cecina valley Comunità Montana, the Province of Pisa, the Region of Tuscany and the E.U.,the abandoned mine has been turned into a Copper Mine Museum.

Inside the Museum, a plan shows the main shaft, the Alfredo shaft, which reached a depth of 315 metres and the subdivision of the mine into 10 levels with galleries branching off on each level. The total sum of the lengths of the galleries measures 35 km and the total sum of the height of all the shafts 10 km.