Traversella: miniere, minatori, minerali - book 2024

The latest publication by Daniele Respino, author of the two volumes ‘Alla scoperta dei minerali d'Italia’ (Discovering the Minerals of Italy) and monographs dedicated to uranium, manganese, titanium, beryllium and zirconium minerals, has now gone to press.

The result of a long research project, this monograph dedicated to the Traversella mine fills a gap that had lasted for decades. Despite the presence of hundreds of publications, articles and citations, there was in fact a lack of a work summarising the epic of this world-famous locality and presenting historical, geological and mineralogical information of interest to the community of collectors and mineralogy enthusiasts.

The book, sponsored by important sector associations including the GML-AIM, begins with an introductory chapter on the geology of the area and the characteristics of the Traversella pluton, the deposit and mining activities. The historical component of this treatment is sympathetically enriched, thanks to the collaboration with M.U. Tomalino, by an original review of drawings of crystals and samples represented in the plates of historical books by the greatest authors of the past.

This is followed by a complete description of all the species reported and confirmed to date, with an impressive set of photographs and interesting insights by A. Barresi into the amphiboles and pyroxenes of Traversella and the overall statistics of the species present in the deposit.

The next chapter describes the activities and initiatives of the Valchiusella Mineralogical Group and presents the collection of the local Mining Museum, which is the result of numerous donations and the research and active volunteer work of its members.

This is followed by original research on the presence of Traversella specimens in public collections (with the participation of the most important museums in Paris, Milan and Turin) and in private collections (with the participation of 40 collectors).

A real treat for all collectors is then the collection of historical testimonies on facts, events and anecdotes related to the history of the mine and its minerals. From the memories of the protagonists of the time, the tale of moments experienced that marked the history of our mineralogy and our territory.

The work concludes with an impressive bibliography (over 30 pages) edited by P. Brizio, which lists the publications concerning Traversella both in alphabetical order of author and in chronological order.

All in all, the author once again gives us an exciting, original and full-bodied treatise (over 400 pages with almost 1,000 images) that honours and deserves credit not only for a famous mine in our country, but also for the social aspects of one of our most historically rich mountain locations. A work written in a language that can be understood even by ‘non-experts’, and which marks an innovative turning point in the modus scribendi on the mineralogical localities of our territory.