Technological discoveries have enabled changes that seem obvious to us because they have become part of our everyday lives, but which required great courage, intuition, willpower and the knowledge that those choices would bring great benefits to all.
The future was already written in the choices of the past.
A document that takes us back to pre-unification Italy, that is, 1858. Specifically, it is 1 bearer share of one hundred liras each issued by Esploratrice, Società Anonima di Esplorazione e Coltivazione di Miniere di Torino.
The company operates copper mines in the Aosta Valley: La Thuille, Chuc, Servette, Arbaz, Fenis and Herin; also the Praly mine in Pinerolo.
The company was short-lived: seven years, from 1853 to the end of 1860 when it was liquidated after concessions were revoked. But let us briefly review its vicissitudes.
The originator of the Esploratrice was Count Camillo Benso di Cavour. On July 25, 1853, the company saw the light of day with the purpose of researching and exploiting mines in the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Giuseppe Brunetti and Gioanni Eyquem from Genoa become partners. Between 1853 and 1854 the Explorer applied for a concession to exploit the copper mines of Challand-Saint Anselme, Champdepraz, Cogne, Fénis, Saint-Marcel, La Thuile, and, for those of anthracite and lead, Courmayeur.
Ore mining in Saint-Marcel started in 1855: for copper processing (later also coming from Champdepraz), an industrial plant was recovered in Donnas, and here the Chivasso-Ivrea railway was planned. While the unification of Italy was being accomplished, the company went into crisis and the important factory in Donnas, was taken over by the Turin bankers Mancardi.
In 1873 it passed into the hands of the German company Basse and Selve. The Aosta Valley has a history associated with mineral exploration and extraction that dates back to the second century B.C., when the Salassi, a population probably of Ligurian descent, began rudimentarily exploiting deposits in the area. In the 17th and 18th centuries, iron and copper mines were used to meet the increasing demands of the Savoy arsenal.
Currently, the mines are all decommissioned and are located in very picturesque places with breathtaking views, and have for years become destinations that attract tourists as they combine interest in industrial archaeology with hiking opportunities. For this reason, the Aosta Valley Region has recently initiated a project to rehabilitate disused mines, with the dual purpose of giving the local community a way to revive the traces of its past and converting them into sites of tourist attraction.
The latter include the mines of Brusson and Saint-Marcel, which are capable of attracting tourists all year round. The mines of Cogne are also no less impressive; here the remains of the cableways used to transport the material, the passenger cable car that ran from Cogne to Colonna, and numerous buildings are clearly visible. Also in Cogne, the very old silver mine of Valeille, the copper mine of Ecloseur and the magnetite mine of Larsinaz should be noted.
An interesting stop at the Gran Paradiso National Park visitor center Alpinart and its permanent exhibition on the magnetite mine in Cogne. Here you can see illustrations of the history, geology, mining complex and production activity. But it is the entire Aosta Valley territory that is rich in underground structures, installations, connection and transportation systems.
To make all this accessible and visitable, the region has created a system of visiting and accompanying routes with specific itineraries, securing slopes, opening portions of tunnels, and specific museum and archival facilities including numerous documentation centers.
By purchasing this NFT you will receive:
1) Original article (historical title) in Black portfolio folder with gold print Scripofilia.it (Investing in History)
2) NFT of the artwork
3) Certificate of originality of the historical title COA (Certificate of authentication) by Scripopass
4) Call or video call with appointment to be scheduled with the Creator and founder of the Scripofilia.it (Alberto Puppo)
After placing the order on HodieNFT it will take up to 48 hours for the Phygital to be prepared with its Scripopass COA Authentication Certificate. The certificate will be shipped to your address by DHL Express courier (delivery within 24 hours in Italy and about 48 hours in the rest of the world). You will receive the document inside a Scripophilia "Investing in History" black folder with gold trim.
