Le miniere di Pazzano: archeologia industriale e patrimonio archivistico

The Pazzano mines, located in the heart of the Stilaro Valley in Calabria, represent a historical, economic, and cultural heritage of extraordinary value. Active since the Greek era for the extraction of silver and other minerals, they were later exploited by the Romans, who established a penal colony there for the damnati ad metalla. Iron and pyrite production reached intense levels of activity between the Middle Ages and the modern era, particularly with the Royal Ironworks of Stilo. From the 18th to the 19th century, the mines supplied the Bourbon iron and steel industry until its post-unification decline. The 20th century saw various revival attempts by Ilva, Montecatini, and the Mining Syndicate, all of which ended without lasting success. Today, with the mines closed and many tunnels abandoned, historical memory survives thanks to the Ecomuseum of Ironworks and Foundries of Calabria and the Museum of Mining Culture, inaugurated in 2018 but still lacking a complete exhibition setup. An important archival collection, preserved in the former elementary school building, remains in need of proper organization and comprehensive study. This paper offers a historical reconstruction of mining activity in Pazzano, intertwining industrial archaeology, archival sources, and reflections on the value of recovering and enhancing a once-vibrant but now forgotten industrial past.