The history of Volterra Salt Mines
It was the Etruscans, almost three thousand years ago, who were the first to understand the extraordinary importance of the white gold that came out of the ancient “moje”, the puddles that spread along the strip of land from Saline di Volterra to the coast.
The first mines were established in the Middle Ages, but it was the Grand Duke of Tuscany who gave the industry the decisive boost it needed to become one of Italy’s first industrial towns.
Since 2014, the Locatelli family, with over four decades of experience in salt mining, has been running the factory.
The Pier Luigi Nervi Pavilion
In 1962, the young and visionary architect Pierluigi Nervi was commissioned to design and build the Pavilion of the same name, from which the evocative salt waterfall still cascades today, and which can be visited during tours of the Salt Mines.
The purest salt in Italy
Since the Middle Ages, the “very white salt of Volterra” has been spoken of, and the incredible purity – 99.9% – of this salt is one of the qualities that have made it world famous. The rock salt deposits were formed about 5 million years ago as the remnants of sea water and are found in closed lenses underground, free from chemical contamination.
The underground deposits are flooded with freshwater, which dissolves the salt into a 33 per cent concentrated salt solution, which is then purified at 80 degrees Celsius to remove all impurities. The purified solution is then sent to crystallisers, where the high temperatures generated by steam compression bring the solution to 130 degrees Celsius, evaporating the residual water and leaving only the salt.
The products of Volterra Salt Mines
The journey of the Volterra Salt Mines continues with products in which salt becomes the protagonist: flavour enhancers, skin care products, chocolate bars and biscuits. And then, there are the beers with salt, available in many flavours. From the classic pale, to chilli pepper, to full-bodied and intense cocoa, all are not to be missed.
