Along the Via Mercatorum in the Brembana Valley, Dossena is home to the oldest mining district in the Bergamo mountains, a rich and varied mining district.
Used and abandoned in various historical periods, they were even studied by Leonardo Da Vinci because of the special mining techniques used here.
Over the centuries, ferrous material and calamine have been extracted from it, and since World War I it has been used for the extraction of fluorspar, a valuable material for the metallurgical and glass industries.
Mine operations ceased permanently in 1981.
A map dating from the 1970s shows the interior of the mines at the time: the access tunnel was the main entrance used by the workers, also used for the supply of water and air by compressors and pumps and for transporting the mined material outside. 300 m long, the main tunnel reached an artificial cavern from which two tunnels began: the wind tunnel, which led to an extensive mining site developed on several levels, through which it reached all the way below the town of Dossena or the adjoining mining site at the artificial Lente Martelli cavern.
The second gallery, called the sighing gallery, was one of the last sounding excavations, from which no deposits were found.
Today, the mining district has been partially recovered and opened to the public, and the secured tunnels are once again passable.
Take a plunge into the past as you enter the tunnels and discover the mining chambers, shafts, chimneys, and tailraces.
You will have a chance to see the ancient working tools up close, and along the way a guide will tell you about the origins and history of mining, the minerals presentand the mining techniques.
You can go along a path to experience an unforgettable adventure to discover the history and beauty of these mines.