Ribolla - Comune di Roccastrada

P. RIBOLLA
EMPOLI
P. 5
P. 5
LIVORNO
OVEST
NUOVO
AREZZO
Poggibonsi
P.FIRENZE
CORTESE
SIENA
P. 5 TER
Massa
Marittima
Campiglia
Marittima
Piombino
Sinalunga
Monteroni
d’Arbia
Castagneto
Carducci
P. 1
Follonica
P. FOLLONICA
Portoferraio
ROCCASTRADA
P. 7 BIS
s
Ra
Abbadia
San Salvatore
RIBOLLA
EDIFICIO
CERNITA
GROSSETO
Fo
sso
Scansano
Manciano
ISOLA D’ELBA
P. 1 BIS
From Livorno: on highway SS1, take the
P.exit2 P. 2 BIS
P. 8 BIS
P. 8 RAFFO
Ribolla
ORBETELLO
ROMA
Gavorrano Scalo and follow the direction to Ribolla.
a mining
P. 10
P. VIGNA
From Siena: on highway 223/E78, take the exit Civitella Marittima and follow
the direction to Roccastrada, than to Ribolla.
walk
P. 3 BIS
EDIFICIO
COMPRESSORI
o
P. 3
spollin
nica
From Grosseto: on highway SS1, take the exit Giuncarico and follow the
direction to Ribolla.
llo
e Fo
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Torr
P. TOSCANO
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DISCENDERIA RIBOLLA
Roccastrada Town Hall
8, Corso Roma
+39 0564 561111
Fax +39 0564 561205
Cultural Office 0564 561230
[email protected]
Public Library 0564 561242
[email protected]
P. S. FERIOLO
P. ARGENTA
P. BENI
P. CASA PAPI
P. 5
P. NUOVO
P. 5
OVEST
Some pictures are from the book
“La miniera a memoria” (Effigi, 2004)
P. POGGIO
MORETTO
P. S. ANDREA
A
P. RIBOLLA NORD
R
P. 7 (LITTORIO)
P. COSTANTINO
P. CORTESE
P. 5 TER
P. 7 BIS
ino
P. TOSCANO
SC
P. 9 CAMORRA
oll
P. 1
EDIFICIO
CERNITA
P. FOLLONICA
sso
Fo
sp
Ra
P. 8 BIS
P. 8 RAFFO
P. 9 BIS
P. 2 P. 2 BIS
onic
Foll
ente
Torr
a
P. VIGNA
C&P Adver • 0564 967139
Layout
Massimiliano Marcucci - Patrizia Martini
Pictures and text by Giuseppe Orfino
P. 6
P. RIBOLLA
P. 1 BIS
Porta del Parco Archeologico e Tecnologico
delle Colline Metallifere Grossetane
Mining History Research Centre
3, Piazza della Libertà - Ribolla, 0564 578033
[email protected]
Ra
Fosso
Rosignano
Marittimo
Cecina
ISOLA
DI CAPRAIA
P. S. ANDREA
A
DI ROCCASTRADA
P. COMUNE
RIBOLLA
NORD
R
P. 7 (LITTORIO)
P. COSTANTINO
Montevarchi
P. 10
P. 3 BIS
EDIFICIO
COMPRESSORI
P. 3
P. 9 CAMORRA
Percorso
MAPPA DEI POZZI
P. 9 BIS
REGIONE
TOSCANA
REGIONE
TOSCANA
PERCORSI DI MINIERA
www.comune.roccastrada.gr.it
www.ribolla2004.it
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The history of Ribolla begins when natural
deposits of brown coal were discovered along
the river Raspollino, around the year 1835.
The first mines were digged during the Thirties
and Forties in the Nineteenth century, during
the government of Leopoldo II di Lorena. The
first settlement, which then will develop into
the mining town, was built around the mining
shaft named “Ribolla”. The train track built in
1892 allowed increasing the production of the
mine while decreasing transportation expenses.
Nevertheless the main development and population increase of Ribolla occurs in the Twentieth
century, in particular in the year 1924, when the
Montecatini Company becomes the only owner
of the mine. The increasing energy demand during the First and the Second World War determines the need to push the production of the
mine, which in 1942 reaches 270 thousand tons
of coal. This production increase is in turn parallel to the manpower increase. In 1947 more
than 3700 men are employed in the mine. Right
around this period, when people are attracted to
the mine looking for employment opportunities,
the Montecatini Company starts laying-off the
mining workers. The social condition in town
becomes so critical and desperate that the miners are engage in a severe strike, also known as
the “the five months fight”. This fight, against the
extremely long working hours and poor working
conditions, however, does not bring to a positive
result. The newly hired manager, Dr. Padroni,
determines that the mine is not productive any
more and that significant measures need to be
taken in order to reduce the operational costs.
Even the technique used for the exploitation
of the mine is driven by cost rather than envi-
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ronmental safety. The working conditions and
personal safety of the mining workers are getting
worse and worse until the morning of May 4th,
1954 a tremendous explosion takes the lives of
43 miners and destroys the Camorra mine. The
court case, begun shortly after the explosion,
ends in 1958, when the judge dismisses all the
charges against the managers and owners of the
mine. The fate of Ribolla becomes clear in 1959,
when all the mines are shut down. After a brief
decommissioning, any trace of what used to be
the primary motivation of life for the population
of Ribolla suddenly disappears. The only reason
that saved Ribolla from becoming a ghost town
was the opening of new chemical and industrial plants in the nearby towns of Gavorrano,
Boccheggiano, Scarlino and Piombino.
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PERCORSI DI MINIERA
1
egna
Sard
V ia
di
Via
Liguria
Alberghi
Via degli
V
O
massi
Piazza delle
Regioni
Via Santa B a r
Via dei Fiori
Via del
Laghetto
6
na
Via Tosca
Sp
Piazza della
Libertà
rco
i a d e l Pa
Largo
Centurie
20
VenVia ia
ez
M o n te
Via del
Minatore
1
ri
Sp3
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Via Umb
aA
br
uz
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Via Fiume
Vi
chia
V. Dormito
llac
P
ba
a Co
Via
dell
5
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1 V
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4
Diaccialo
Sp3
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Milano
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7
Via
Firenze
Via
Via Prato
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8
Via
Torino
K
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9
Via dei
Giardini
dei
Viaardini
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Historic places
1. The Movie theatre. Built with the contribution of the mining
workers around the Forties, this was the place where the social life
of the inhabitants of Ribolla took place. The movie theatre hosted
happening nights, opera, and musicals famous during the forties
and fifties. In 1954 it was used as funeral home for the 37
2. Dorms (today primary and secondary school). Built during
the forties, they offered a place to sleep and to eat (room and
board) to the mining workers who came from outside town.
Beginning late sixties, they have been utilized as primary and
secondary school.
3. Camerotti (nowadays houses) The first dorms were built during the First World War by the Société Générale des Lignites en
Italie, owner of the mine during that period. The dorms, also
known as “camerotti” (large common rooms) were designed
to provide a place to sleep for the miners who came from out
of town.
4. Rooms and bathrooms for the mining workers who came
from outside town. These were built during the thirties.
5. Company houses (today residential houses).
6. Miners Memorial Monument, by Vittorio Basaglia, 1984
7. Discenderia Ribolla. Miners used this inclined plane for
ramps to pull wagons up over rough ground.
8. Lampisteria. Mining lamp storage
9. Mining shaft named Ribolla and mining winch (nowadays
house)
10. Cernita. Here the brown coal was selected and shipped via
train to the train station of Giuncarico. The new cernita was
built to replace the old wooden cernita.
11. Mining shaft 10. It is the most modern mining shaft in
Ribolla. Built in 1951, it reached a depth of 333 meters
12. Mining shaft 9, named “Camorra”. The mining shaft number
9, that reached a depth of 300 meters, was excavated near the
farm named Camorra in 1948; this mining shaft assumed the
name of the farm shortly after.
13. Nearby Camorra mining shaft, Monument by Emilio
Trabella (Zonin)
14. Electrical Cabin and suburbs named Reparto
15. Hospital (nowadays house and office)
16. Montecatini headquarters (nowadays house)