Montevecchio

The village of Montevecchio covers a vast territory that falls between the municipalities of Arbus and Guspini. It is located a few kilometers from the sea of the Costa Verde, immersed in a wonderful and fragrant forest of holm oaks, oaks and cork oaks, which conceals the ancient mining origins that gave birth to the old village. In the past it was the management center of the Montevecchio Mines , and its origins still characterize its life today, making it an important example of industrial archeology. Montevecchio , today inhabited by only a few hundred inhabitants, is still almost living testimony of what the life of the mine wasbetween warehouses, washeries, wells, miners' and employees' lodgings up to the management building. The Montevecchio Mine is one of the eight mining sites that make up the Historical Environmental Geomining Park of Sardinia , officially recognized in 1997 by UNESCO as the first park within the worldwide network of Geosites/Geoparks, established by UNESCO with the aim of protecting and enhance the technical-scientific, historical, cultural and environmental heritage of the sites where man has used geological and mineral resources.

The area of the old mining concessions of Montevecchio occupies a vast territory between the municipalities of Arbus and Guspini. It is located along two areas called: cantieri di Levante, located in the immediate vicinity of the village of Montevecchio, and cantieri di Ponente located along the white road that leads from Montevecchio to the mining village of Ingurtosu. The two areas are separated by the Gennaserapis pass where the village of Montevecchio stands where the most important buildings of the mine are located: the management with the annexed church of Santa Barbara, the guesthouse, the geological office, the hospital and the school. The mining activities developed over various concessions: within the eastern shipyards there are the Sciria shipyard (391 hours), the Piccalinna mine (369 hours) with the San Giovanni shaft, the Mezzena mine with the Sartori shaft, and the Principe Tommaso laundry, and the Montevecchio concession nº1 (400 hours) with the Sant'Antonio mine; while inside the Ponente construction sites there is the Montevecchio concession nº2 (400 h) with the Sanna mine and the Montevecchio concession nº3 (400 h) with the Telle mines, with the Amsicora shaft and the Casargiu mine with the Fais well.