Abbadia San Salvatore — The Shadow of Amianta

Mount Amiata, an ancient extinct volcano in the heart of Tuscany, was for centuries a source of wealth due to its cinnabar deposits, the mercury ore. Abbadia San Salvatore, in particular, hosted one of Europe's largest mercury mines, the Miniera del Siele. Mining activity, intense from the 19th century onwards, employed thousands of people, making the region prosperous. However, beyond mercury, the rock also contained asbestos, a mineral fiber whose dangers were ignored or minimized by the operators. Workers were exposed without adequate protection, inhaling deadly dust daily.

Decades after the cessation of mining operations in the 1970s, the health consequences of this exposure proved to be dramatic. Hundreds of former miners and their families developed incurable diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma, transforming an economic blessing into a human tragedy. The struggle for recognition of these occupational diseases and for compensation has been long and arduous. High-profile trials emerged in the 21st century, seeking to establish the responsibilities of companies and the state in the face of a large-scale health disaster, fifty years after the first warnings.