Ballao, Corti Rosas Mine

The mine is part of an area of great interest for industrial archeology. Activated for the extraction of antimony, today it is no longer productive, but the remains of the laveria, the flotation system and the building for the electric generator remain, in addition to some buildings that housed the guesthouse and some residences. These are very simple buildings in cut stone with a sloping roof and openings with simple frames, just framed in the outer walls.
The entrance to the cultivation sites is interesting, inserted in a ballast made of irregular stones and formed by an opening flanked by stubby columns and an lintel: here was the inscription “AUTARCHIA”, today readable with difficulty.
The mine is part of the Geominerary, Historical and Environmental Park of Sardinia, recognized by UNESCO.

History of studies
The Cortirossa mine is mentioned in several works on industrial archeology in Sardinia.

Bibliography
S. Mezzolani-A. Simoncini, Sardinia to save. Landscapes and mine architecture, Nuoro, Sardinian Photographic Archive, 1993, pp. 358-359.

How to get there
The mining settlement of Cortirosa, in Gerrei, can be reached from the town of Ballao along the road to Esclaplano with a detour just after the bridge over the Flumendosa.