Un nuovo piano di coltivazione per il rilancio dell’attività estrattiva a Cutrofiano (Penisola salentina, Puglia)

The area of Cutrofiano has always had a mining vocation which, over the time, has first sustained the modest local clay exploitation activity, and then boosted an important production of calcarenite building stones (locally named “tufi”). This last activity developed underground exclusively, and after supporting the local economy for more than a century, owing to the different market and socio-economical conditions, in the last 30 years it has collapsed. On the other hand, lately clay mining has been resumed following to the opening of a big cement factory. Hence, considering the historical background of this mining area and present market conditions, a new exploitation plan is being proposed in order to relaunch said activity. The plan is set out on a double exploitation basis: first the complete clay mining, required by the cement factory, secondly the opencast recovery of calcarenites making up the pillars of the old abandoned underground pits. This will result in the complete exploitation of the mining area with a fairly good income and job creation.