Freva Mine, Premosello-Chiovenda, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola Province, Piedmont, Italy

Concretions of gypsum and incrustations of other sulphates on the walls of one of the adits. Photo: Paolo Bosio, March 2009.

Groups of covellite crystals. FOV 5 mm Photo and collection Mauro Savia

© Mauro Savia

Detail of copper. Collezione e foto: Nazareno La Manna.

© La Manna Nazareno

Tufts of pickeringite on melanterite matrix FOV 15 mm Photo and collection Mauro Savia

Siderotile in whitish globular crusts with pickeringite. Photo and collection by Mauro Savia.

© Mauro Savia

Cubic cuprite crystals in small vug. Photo Joe Désor. Collection Mauro Savia.

Red cubic cuprite crystals in small cavities. Photo by Joe Désor, Mauro Savia Collection.

Deep red cuprite crystals. Photo and collection by Mauro Savia.

Native copper foils on a matrix. Photo by Mauro Savia.

© Mauro Savia

Thin blades and micro crystals native copper on rocks. Collected and collection Michele Verdi. Photo Mauro Savia.

Elongated crystals of cuprite var chalcotrichite in a small cavity. Collection Mauro Savia, photo Joy Désor.

Rhombohedral, yellowish-white glass crystals. Photo and collection by Mauro Savia.

© Mauro Savia

Rutile needles with quartz. Photo and collection Mauro Savia.

Bright green microcrystals with chalcopyrite, quartz, and goethite. Photo and collection by Mauro Savia.

© Mauro Savia

Colorless scalenohedral glass crystals. Photo and Mauro Savia collection.

© Mauro Savia

Titanite crystal with quartz in small vug. Photo and collection Mauro Savia.

Group of brookite crystals on quartz. Photo and collection Mauro Savia.

Chalcopyrite crystals in small cavities. Photo end collection Mauro Savia.

Native copper laminar leaves. Photo Mauro Savia, collection Michele Verdi.

Bipyramidal anatase crystals, brownish-red in color. Photo and collection by Mauro Savia.

© Mauro Savia

Brookite crystals on quartz. Photo and collection Mauro Savia.

Elongated crystals of cuprite var chalcotrichite in a small cavity. Collection Mauro Savia, Photo Joy Désor.

Yellow siderite crystals. Photo and collection Mauro Savia.

Colorless to pale yellow clinozoisite fasciculate crystals in small cavities in calcite. Photo and collection Mauro Savia.

Colorless quartz crystals associated with albite and clinozoisite. Collected 2022. Photo and collection Mauro Savia.

Red cuprite crystals on mica. Photo and collection by Mauro Savia.

© Mauro Savia

Rutile needles associated with brookite on quartz. Photo and collection Mauro Savia.

Botryoid sphere of dark green malachite associated with chrysocolla. Photo and collection Mauro Savia.

Chalcopyrite crystals in small cavity. Photo and collection Mauro Savia.

Pseudorhombic crystals with brown gradations of chabazite-ca in small cavity. Photo and collection Mauro Savia.

In a thin fissure in a sulphide vein, radial clusters of acicular aragonite crystals. Photo and collection Mauro Savia.

Stalactite of chalcanthite in a tunnel March 2022. The sample was only photographed and not collected. A small piece was taken from the smaller stalactite and analyzed, micro-raman confirmed chalcanthite. Photo Mauro Savia.

Several brookite crystals on quartz. Photo and collection by Mauro Savia.

© Mauro Savia

Freva mining area, tunnel entrances are indicated in blue, while the red ovals indicate the masonry and mule track. Three additional tunnels are located lower on the left and are not included in the photo. Photo by Alberto Lorenzina, 2023.

Cuzzago mine, nicely connected with stairways (incredible craftmanship!), see blue circles and the adits/open pits in red circles (click on the photo to enlarge it). There are other adits a bit lower than the photos shows.

© Stefan Oertel

View of the mining area from the place named Buèr (also known as Boere or Bovere) with, on the right of the picture, Valle di Nibbio (also known as Val Faera or, improperly, Val Fredda). Photo: Paolo Bosio, March 2009.

Sulphate incrustations on the walls of one of the adits. Photo: Paolo Bosio, March 2009.

One of the well-preserved stone stairways. Photo: Paolo Bosio, March 2009.

Freva mine a gallery with sulfate encrustations in November 2023. Photo Mauro Savia.

Gallery with small gypsum crystals on the ceiling and goethite stalactites, taken December 2023. Photo by Alberto Lorenzina.

© Alberto Lorenzina

Mule track connecting some tunnels and the quarried material storage areas, taken December 2023. Photo by Alberto Lorenzina.

© Alberto Lorenzina

Entrance to a gallery with significant masonry work. Photo (2022) by Mauro Savia.

© Mauro Savia