In the 19th and 20th centuries, these mines fueled the economy of central Sicily: in 1834 there were 196 mines employing over 5,600 workers, while by 1900 nearly 40,000 workers were employed across about 886 mines. The mineral was extracted with pickaxes in hand-dug galleries (“pala e pico”), often narrow and dangerous, with frequent collapses that trapped the miners. The sulfur was then melted in the characteristic Gill furnaces: the mineral was collected in gavitte—large wooden containers—and once solidified it took the shape of the famous “balate” slabs.
This process, however, was highly polluting, as sulfur was transformed into sulfur dioxide, deadly for both the environment and people. A tragic aspect of mining life was the presence of the carusi, children as young as 5–10 years old, handed over to miners under a loan called soccorso morto. Forced to carry up to 30 kg of material on their shoulders underground, their bodies became deformed and they often remained trapped in the galleries.
In the provincial capital, the “Sebastiano Mottura” Mineralogical Museum preserves a vast collection of minerals, fossils, period tools, mine carts, and Gill furnaces, illustrating the technology and working conditions of Sicilian sulfur mines. Just a few kilometers away, the Trabia Tallarita Sulfur Mines Museum offers immersive experiences, multimedia reconstructions, and direct testimonies from former miners.