Montevecchio hamlet has a wide territory between Arbus and Guspini. It is located at few km far from Costa Verde sea immersed in a beautiful and sented holm-oak wood, oaks and cork forests which hidden the old origin of the mine and the hamlet. In the past, it was the directional centre of the mines of Montevecchio, and still nowadays it mantains its original characteristics making it an important example of industrial archaelogy. Montevecchio, nowadays inhabited by about a hundred of people, is the witness of the past life of the mine among storehouses, washeries, shafts, miners and employees’ apartments and the managing building. Montevecchio mine is one of the eight mining sites of the Geomineral Historic and Environmental Park of Sardinia aknowledged in 1997 by the Unesco as the first park in the world network of the Geos/ Geopoarks established by Unesco to protect and enhance the techincal, scientific, historical, cultural and environmental property of this sites. The area of the old minerary permissions of Montevecchio is located in a wide territory property of both Arbus and Guspini municipalities and divided into two areas called Levante site (Eastern) , situated close to Montevecchio, and Ponente site (western) on the way on to Ingurtosu mines. The two areas are separated by Gennaserapis mountain pass where Montevecchio stands and where the most important building are situated: the Managing Building next to Santa Barbara’s church, the Guest quarter’s (Foresteria), the geologic office, the hospital and the school. Minerary works developped into different permissions: inside the Eastern site there are Sciria site (391m depth), Piccalinna Mine (369m depth) with San Giovanni shaft, Mezzena site with Sartori shaft, Principe Tommaso Washery and Montevcchio permission number 1 (400m depth) with Sant’Antonio mine: inside the western sites (Ponente) there are Montevecchio mine permission number 2 (400m depth) with Sanna’s mine and the permission number 3 of Montevcchio’s permission (400m depth) with Telle mine, Amsicora shaft and Casargiu mine with Fais shaft.
