Porto Flavia, Sardinia, Italy

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Info. Porto Flavia, Sardinia, Italy

A masterpiece of mining engineering, the sea harbour of Porto Flavia is located on the south-west coast of the Italian island of Sardinia, near the town of Nebida. Engineer Cesare Vecelli designed and built the mining hub along the cliffs in 1924, allowing miners to lower ore directly onto ships waiting in the harbour below, which saved time and cut costs by up to 70%. The engineer added a concrete tower, arched doorway and windows to the port, bringing elegance and beauty not usually associated with a mining hub.

Porto Flavia is named after the engineer's daughter, Flavia Vecelli. It closed in the 1990s following the decline of the mining industry in Sardinia and is now a UNESCO-protected site.