Porto Flavia, Sulcis-Iglesiente, Sardinia, Italy 14 May 2025

Porto Flavia, Sulcis-Iglesiente, Sardinia, Italy

Most ports rely on docks and cranes that extend into the shoreline. Porto Flavia in the Sulcis-Iglesiente region, however, took a completely different approach. This engineering marvel transformed a cliff into a gateway for Sardinia"s ore industry. Mining in Sulcis-Iglesiente has a history dating back thousands of years, from the Phoenicians and Romans to the industrial boom in the 20th century. Lead, zinc, coal, sulphur, barium and silver were extracted from these rugged hills but transporting them was a logistical nightmare. Ore had to be hauled by cart, loaded onto small boats and then transferred to larger ships—a slow, costly and inefficient process.

© Marco Bottigelli/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Happy Mothers Day!
Holding back the tide
14 May 2024Carlsbad Caverns National Park

More Desktop Wallpapers:

18 Nov 2024Porthcawl lighthouse, Wales
Turtle-y nice day for a swim
In hot water
Pastel perfection
The worlds most exclusive beach?
13 Nov 2024Sea lion in a kelp forest, Baja California, Mexico
Castle in the sky
3 Nov 2025World Jellyfish Day
6 Aug 2025Ring-tailed lemur
27 Oct 2024British Summer Time ends
23 Feb 2025Mount Fuji Day
6 Oct 2023Taughannock Falls State Park, New York
10 Dec 2025Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain
8 Nov 2023Llyn Padarn, Snowdonia, Wales
4 Nov 2023Playa del Silencio, Spain
An iridescent view
23 Nov 2024Fibonacci Day
1 Nov 2024Vineyards in Varnhalt, Black Forest, Germany
A cantilevered window to the past
14 Jul 2025Shark Awareness Day
15 Jan 2025266 years of the British Museum
A rainbow that’s worth the rainfall
10 Dec 2024Lands End, Cornwall, England
29 Oct 2023Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia, USA
1 Dec 2025Antarctica Day
27 Sep 2025Clark Range, Yosemite National Park, California, United States
7 Feb 2025Blue hour in Trondheim, Norway
1 Sep 2025Rock layers in Zumaia, Basque Country, Spain
1 Nov 2023Haut-Barr Castle
4 Apr 2025National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, DC, United States