The Magona of Atina: History of the Bourbon Ironworks and Iron Mines
La Magona of Atina, known locally as the Ironworks, represents one of the most fascinating chapters of industrial archaeology in southern Lazio. Its history is rooted in the desire of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies to exploit the territory's natural resources for industrial and military purposes.
The origins: Ferdinand II of Bourbon and the Meta Mountains
In 1855, Ferdinand II of Bourbon decided to give concrete form to an old 18th century project: the intensive exploitation of the iron mines in the Meta Mountains. These deposits were not a recent discovery; the metalliferous veins in the area had been cultivated since ancient times by peoples such as the Etruscans, i Samnites and, finally, by the Romans, who had realised its strategic value.
The precedent of Canneto and the logistical limits of the 18th century
As early as 1778 he was active in Canneto a steel plant. This plant harnessed the motive power of the River Melfa to drive the large bellows needed to blow air into the coal furnaces. Cast iron and iron was mined here, but the enterprise was short-lived.
At the end of the 18th century, the factory was decommissioned. The main cause was the extreme inconvenience of the mountain site, served by impassable and completely impassable communication routes during the winter season. These logistical obstacles made the transport of semi-finished metal products to the valley excessively costly and difficult.
The revival of the war industry and the choice of Rosanisco
About fifty years later, Ferdinand II returned to the limonite in the area. The decisive push came from the urgent need to procure iron and cast iron for the’Kingdom's war industry.
To avoid the mistakes of the past, the Bourbons conducted extensive geological research to locate deposits in more accessible positions. New limonite and haematite sites were discovered at San Donato (Rave Rosse - Monte Calvario), in the territory of Alvito e Campoli Apennines.
Thanks to these new discoveries, it was possible to plan the relocation of the Canneto plant further downstream. The choice fell on the hamlet Rosanisco of Atina, a strategic position that guaranteed:
- Constant access to the driving force of the Melfa River.
- The proximity to the Sferracavalli“ street”, an important communication artery to Cassino (then San Germano), facilitating the transport of materials to Campania and Naples.
Technological innovation at the Atina Ironworks
Construction of the new Magona was completed in 1858, in just three years. The beating heart of the factory was a newly designed blast furnace, which was at the forefront of technology at the time. This plant was capable of producing a high-quality cast iron, which could later be easily converted into iron and steel for the civil and military needs of the Bourbon state.
The Unification of Italy and the decline of the Magona
Despite its technical excellence, the fate of the ironworks was marked by major political changes. In 1860, Garibaldi's events in southern Italy led to the fall of the Bourbons and the proclamation of the’Unification of Italy in 1861.
At the end of 1860, the Magona of Atina was closed and abandoned. The complex passed into the hands of the newly formed Italian State, passing from the Ministry of War to the Ministry of Finance. The latter decided to put it up for sale, due to fierce competition from industries in northern Italy. It was the same economic process that led to the crisis of other historical industries in the area, such as the paper mills and the woolen mills located along the Liri River and in the Arpino territory.
The legacy of the Visocchi brothers
In 1878, the factory (which locals still call “Ironworks”) was purchased by the Visocchi brothers, well-known industrialists who already owned a paper mill in Atina Inferiore.
With this change of ownership, the building was converted to other uses. This marked the definitive end of mining in the Valle di Comino: the iron ore deposits of Meta, San Donato, Alvito and Campoli were definitively abandoned, leaving to posterity the remains of what was an ambitious iron and steel pole in the heart of the Apennines.