Floristella, ancient sulfur mine in Sicily
The large sulfur mines Floristella Grottacalda and, along with other smaller of the province of Enna, since 1700 have been a source of economic wealth of European importance, though often at the cost of inhuman exploitation of the workers. Until the first half of the mining activity was based on the hard manual labor of thousands of diggers, even children 6 years old, who endured the terrible working conditions in exchange for meager wages. Luigi Pirandello illustrates this reality in his novel Ciaula discovers the moon. The working conditions of the miners were improved later with the development of mining processes and the use of landmines. In this context, Baron Agostino Pennisi Floristella, began to put a face to the entrepreneurial process of mining and processing of sulfur and erected a fine building, still existing, which he used as a family home and a place of research and experimentation. The area of the mining complex was entirely crossed by the railroad Dittaino-Piazza Armerina-Caltagirone who had several stations; This was quickly closed and dismantled in the early 70. The sulfur mines began to enter into crisis since the thirties although knew a raise because of World War II. Ceased to manufacture in the seventies. There was a long period of neglect of all facilities to the threshold of the nineties. The birth of the Park Mining Floristella - Grottacalda was stipulated in Article 6 of Regional Law n. 17 of 1991. In 1992 the director Aurelio Grimaldi, turns and Ambienta the film La discesa di Aclà a Floristella in the mine.
Size: 5556px × 3704px
Location: Floristella, Enna, Sicily, Italy, Europe
Photo credit: © Diego Barucco / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ancient, calcarone, calcaroni, car, cart, dig, elevator, enna, fatigue, floristella, geology, italian, job, mineral, mining, rail, rails, sicilian, sicily, sulfur, tower, transport, tunnel, work
