Monte Amiata, located in central Italy north of Rome, is an ancient silicic volcanic cone that still has exploitable geothermal resources. Since the turn of the century, mercury has been extracted from Cinnabar, a volcanic deposit in the region. In the 1970's the international price of mercury fell, sharply curtailing the mining activity. To find substitute employment for the local workers, alternative projects were investigated with the use of geothermal energy the main focus