Argentiera

40°44′24″N 8°9′4″E

Argentiera
Frazione of Sassari
CountryItaly
RegionSardinia
CitySassari
Elevation
30 m (100 ft)
Population
 • Total70

Argentiera is a small town and a frazione (hamlet) in the comune of Sassari, in Sardinia, Italy. It is located 43 km from Sassari, in a narrow valley, on the coast of the Sardinian Sea.[1]

History

Argentiera is a former mining town, its name comes from the Latin argento, meaning silver. The mine had been exploited since the ancient era, beginning with the Romans. It was reopened in the 19th century by "Società di Corr'e boi", a Belgian mining company. The French writer Honoré de Balzac, visited the village in 1838. The most florid period for the mining village was the 1940s. The town declined after World War II, and the mine was closed in 1963.

Today the town is the home of a few small businesses who get most of their income from tourism. It is one of the most important examples of industrial archaeology in Sardinia, it is included in the Geological-Mining Park of Sardinia and preserved by UNESCO. In recent years the town has experienced a small boom in building and renovation of the old buildings, notably the old mine.

  • Cape Argentiera in North West Sardinia
    Cape Argentiera in North West Sardinia
  • The Laveria
    The Laveria
  • Argentiera's beach
    Argentiera's beach
  • Typical sandwiched stone in Argentiera
    Typical sandwiched stone in Argentiera
  • The village
    The village

References
  1. "Beautiful villages lost to time: Italy's incredible ghost towns". The Telegraph. 2017-09-26. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-07-29.



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