In the Anzasca Valley, in Fornarelli di Macugnaga, you can visit the first gold mine museum in the Alps, reopened as a tourist and cultural attraction when mining ended here.
The Macugnaga mine tells the stories of the tough job that is mining, a profession that was once widespread across the Anzasca Valley. Thanks to the abundance of manpower, the Guia Gold Mine reached its production peak in the period between the two world wars.
Active from 1710 to 1961, it went through a period of strong production, concentrated between 1937 and 1945. In 1942, 40,000 tonnes of ore were mined, resulting in 408 kilograms (1058 lbs) of pure gold, and six years later as much as 580 kilograms (1279 lbs) were mined.
In the 1950s, the mine still employed about 300 workers, but obsolete technology and competition from abroad led to the mine permanently closing in 1961 due to unprofitable productivity.
Today, Guia Gold Mine is a must for visitors of all ages. It allows you to jump back into the glorious (and tremendously tiring) past of this tough trade. Tours, including guided tours, wind along a route of about 1.5 kilometres (1 mile) in which you’ll be able to glimpse and admire authentic seams of gold pyrite.
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