Solfara Gessolungo, Sulfur mine in Caltanissetta, Italy
Gessolungo is a former sulfur mine located in the Imera Valley mining district of Caltanissetta, featuring multiple shafts and underground chambers where extraction took place. The site includes various mining structures and tunnels that workers used to reach and process the mineral deposits.
The mine was established in 1839 and became one of Sicily's largest sulfur extraction sites under Baron Giuseppe Calafato's ownership. A catastrophic disaster in November 1881 claimed 65 lives, including 19 child workers, when a methane explosion and subsequent fire swept through the tunnels.
The mine became the subject of the song 'La zolfara' recorded by Pietro Buttarelli in 1958 and Ornella Vanoni in 1959.
The site remains accessible today, with visible remains showing the layout of the former mining operation. Nearby stands the Cimitero dei carusi, a cemetery that commemorates the young workers who lost their lives in the mine.
Operations continued until 1986, after nearly 150 years of continuous sulfur extraction under the mine's original ownership. The site gained cultural prominence when the song 'La zolfara' became popular in the late 1950s, capturing the lives of workers.
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