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

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, sulfur, barium and silver were extracted from these rugged hills but transporting them was a logistical nightmare. In 1924, Italian engineer Cesare Vecelli revolutionised ore transport in the region. He designed Porto Flavia as a system of tunnels and silos carved into a limestone cliff, allowing ore to be loaded directly onto cargo ships. The port, named after Vecelli"s daughter, Flavia, remained in use until mining declined in the mid-20th century.

© Marco Bottigelli/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Beautiful falling waters
Trusty water-shifters
May 14, 2024Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, USA

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Park of the Monsters
Oct 15, 2024Great wildebeest migration at Mara River, Kenya
Sep 13, 2025Point Reyes National Seashore, California, United States
Jul 9, 2025Independence Day of the Argentine Republic
Apr 21, 2024Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA
Jul 20, 2024International Moon Day
Sep 21, 2025Sea otters, Prince William Sound, Alaska, United States
Heaven meets Earth!
Dec 24, 2023Christmas Eve
Aug 16, 2024Roller coaster in Nagashima Spa Land, Mie Prefecture, Japan
Who’s the wisest of them all?
Saving and celebrating honey bees
May 27, 2024Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram, Tamil Nadu
Dec 22, 2025The Nutcracker performed by the Turkish State Opera and Ballet in Türkiye
Feb 21, 2024Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California, USA
Jun 9, 2025Old City of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia, Croatia
Feb 18, 2024Sperm whale pod surfacing
Nov 14, 2024Manarola, Cinque Terre National Park, Liguria, Italy
A life-sized snow globe
Sep 20, 2023Aqueduct, Arkadia Park, Poland
Nature’s art installation
Oct 21, 2023Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur
Mar 31, 2025Ostuni, Apulia, Italy
Aug 22, 2024Aerial view of Ocean City, Maryland, USA
Mar 23, 2024World Meteorological Day
Mar 20, 2024Cave Dale and Peveril Castle, England
Jellies in a world all their own
Nov 20, 2023Gathering Place, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Aug 10, 2024Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA
Oct 15, 2023European hedgehog