Mineral Park of Elba Island

The Mineral Park of Elba Island in Rio Marina was created to preserve and enhance what remains of nearly three
thousand years of culture marked by the iron mining and manufacturing.

The visit starts from the minerals displayed where the mine's administrative office used to be: Palazzo del Burò (or Palazzo della Concessionaria), is a building dating back to the 18th century, in the heart of the historic centre. After restoration, it is now an internationally renowned scientific museum, large six hundred square meters. Its first floor is used for exhibitions and the large halls contain one of the most important Elban mineral collections. This collection not only displays minerals but also the reconstruction of mine indoors precisely rebuilt by experts in industrial archaeology by using original materials found in the sites. Old machineries and photographs make the enviroment very evocative.

Now you can take a tour in the mines: with a view similar to the moonscape, crossing the picturesque mining sites of the park is an unmissable experience, suitable for children too, especially if you take them on the little red train. The tour lasts an hour and twenty minutes and leads you through the main sites of Elba mines, each one characterized by a different colour, all glittering with iron remains. Along the way you can see the wreck of buildings and old original equipment used by the miners.