2025-07 Monte Arsiccio Mine

[thedutchexplorers]

Haven’t posted in a while... I’ve finally been out exploring again, doing what I love most.

As always, all good things must come to an end, but I’m really happy to share a few moments from this trip with you.

I actually visited this location twice. On the first day, I spent quite a bit of time exploring the wrong area in hindsight, a bit off track. But things got a lot more interesting later.

Once we explored the main adit, we climbed further up the mountain and came across some fascinating remains. One adit was completely flooded, I honestly felt like an explorer in an Alien movie. Constant water flow, thick sludge, surreal colours, and those eerie snotticles… It felt utterly hostile, yet somehow teeming with life.

We then went even further up the mountain. Funny side note: I went so high that getting back down was a real challenge. The ground was extremely unstable, and even the dry leaves made everything slippery. Anyway, in the higher area... I’m fairly sure the adits dated from a much earlier period. One of the most intriguing adits was located right next to a completely overgrown ruin. Unfortunately, the entrance had fully collapsed, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since, but there was really no way in.


Below is a bit of background info I pulled together from a historical document, hopefully it adds some useful context.
That said, don’t take everything at face value, I’m still piecing things together myself, and there’s always room for interpretation

Monte Arsiccio (Alta Versilia, Tuscany) – Historical Overview​

Monte Arsiccio, located in the Alta Versilia region of Tuscany, was a silver-lead mine and part of the same metalliferous district as the better-known Bottino mine. It represents the final large-scale phase of mining activity in the area.

Timeline & Phases​

• 16th century: The broader mining revival in Alta Versilia began under Cosimo I de’ Medici, with expertise and labour from German and Tyrolean miners. This included initial operations across the district, laying the foundation for later developments like Monte Arsiccio.
• Early to mid-20th century: Monte Arsiccio itself saw its peak exploitation during the 1900s, making it a relatively late addition compared to earlier mines in the region.

Infrastructure​

During the 20th-century industrial phase, the Monte Arsiccio site was equipped with:

• a laveria (ore washing facility),
• smelting furnaces (including both roasting and refining types),
• and transport systems (rail lines and inclined planes).

Many of these structures remain visible today.

Source: https://www.versiliahistorica.org/

 

[thedutchexplorers]

And some more

 

[Mr Mike]

Thanks for posting, I really like seeing mines from other countries.

 

[petemonkhouse]

Excellent place, if somewhat sketchy! I found 3 open adits, the main one with the nice iron gate, one about 20 metres below that and one to the left and maybe 50 metres higher into what seemed to be unconnected and older workings.

 

[TomFerry]

Thanks very much for sharing , really enjoyed viewing this ! Keep them coming