Porto Flavia

Porto Flavia, on Sardinia’s west coast near Masua in the municipality of Iglesias, is a mining loading port built in 1923–24 to plans by the engineer Cesare Vecelli and named after his daughter Flavia. Two superimposed tunnels, each about 600 m long, were driven into the rock face, connected by nine vertical ore silos with a capacity of over 10,000 tonnes. A conveyor belt and an extendable loading belt about 16 m long loaded ships moored at the foot of the cliff. The tunnel opens onto the sea, facing the sea stack of Pan di Zucchero.

The site can be visited on guided tours, which according to Wikipedia run daily; check times and booking in advance (as of October 2026). The tours are led by former miners or technicians. Allow about an hour for the tour, plus extra time for the coast around Masua.

Before it was built, the ore was loaded onto boats on the beach and taken to Carloforte, where it was transferred to larger cargo ships. The starting point is Masua beach; from there a road climbs the hillside and follows the coast for about 2.5 km to the site. It can only be visited on a guided tour, which Lonely Planet recommends booking through the Iglesias tourist office.