The gold of the Ivrea Morainic Amphitheatre

The exhibition The gold of the Ivrea Morainic Amphitheatre invites visitors to discover one of the most fascinating and little-known aspects of the Canavese territory: the presence of gold deposits in the watercourses of the Ivrea Morainic Amphitheatre. Promoted by the’Ivrea Morainic Amphitheatre Ecomuseum in collaboration with the volunteers from the Bollo-Ghirardo Library and the Municipality of Settimo Vittonewith the support of the BIM Dora Baltea Canavesana, the exhibition is proposed as an itinerary popular and thematic between geology, history and archaeology of the territory.

Via documentation, historical reconstructions and ancient literary references, the visitor will understand how the’gold mining was already practised in pre-Roman times and became a real industrial enterprise under the Republican Rome, especially in the area of the Bessa, a gigantic open-cast mine covering some 10 km² and active between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC. The exhibition also illustrates the various extraction techniques, with or without the use of water channels, and offers insights from direct observation on the ground still visible today in places such as Mazzè, Villareggia, Borgo d'Ale e Torre Canavese.

The exhibition has as its main objective the enhancement of the geological-environmental heritage, involving the community and stimulating the awareness of a unique territory, where nature meets history.

📍 The exhibition is held at the Bollo-Ghirardo Library in Settimo Vittone