The salt deposits in Saline

A non-stop production

The town of Saline di Volterra is named after the salt deposits it was built on, in Italian “salina”.
People in the middle Valdicecina have been extracting salt for the last 1000 years, which is present in the area because of the evaporite formations from the Messinian period. It is the most continuous and long-lasting mining production of the area, and it has gone through many changes in the extraction techniques throughout the years.
At first, the salt deposit would be put through a furnace powered by fascine, in order to then collect the evaporated salty water in 20/30-metres deep sinks.
Now, water is being pumped from the underground, which forms a brine that is then extracted. That’s when the processes of refining, evaporating and centrifugation take place.
In other places, for instance in the South of Germany, salt is extracted by quarrying salt blocks. That’s not possible in the Valdicecina, because our deposits are between 1 and 30 metres thick and they’re enclosed by clay.