Museum Of Mineralogy And Equipment Of The Traversella Mine

The Museum is housed in an industrial building on the mining site, known as the crushing silo.

The surrounding area includes:

• industrial facilities used for processing the iron extracted from the mine;
• buildings that accommodated part of the staff;
• offices;
• chemical laboratory.

The museum exhibits:

• mineral and rock samples;
• equipment used in mining;
• explanatory panels.

A hall is dedicated to the projection of documentaries and films.

In the exhibition halls, one breathes History:

• the history of the Earth with the local events occurred over the last 33 million years;
• the history of Man, forced to find ways to survive in such a harsh environment and to make use of the mineral resources the mountainous terrain put at his disposal.

The tunnel entrances overlook the road and the path.

The volume Traversella, storie di polvere, di fatica e di cristalli (Traversella: dust, toil and crystals tales), published by the Regional Museum of Natural Sciences of Turin, is included in the Natura Preziosa series. It provides a description of this major mining district in Piedmont and its amazing minerals.

Visit duration: about 30 minutes.

No architectural barriers.

The museum houses the largest and most comprehensive collection of minerals from the Traversella mining site, which is world-famous for the wide variety of mineral species found in such a small deposit.

The most common minerals are:

• calcite;
• dolomite;
• magnesite;
• magnetite;
• galena;
• pyrite;
• quartz;
• scheelite.

Samples of rare beauty and value, such as amethyst and silver, are on display.

The Museum provides:

• educational activities and workshops for students and adults;
• conferences and thematic meetings;
• guided tours;
• special openings during events;
• collaborations with universities, institutions and museums.