On the west coast of Sardinia, the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, there was once an unusual port. It’s a small opening on the rock face of the limestone cliffs above the sea, that led directly to the Masua mines, where zinc and lead ores were extracted, via a 600-meter-long tunnel. Ores were brought by conveyor belts to the mouth of the tunnel, from which a mechanical arm loaded the ore directly onto waiting ships. The ingenious harbor was built in 1924 by engineer Cesare Vecelli, who named it Porto Flavia after his daughter Flavia.

Porto Flavia. Photo credit: Atzori Riccardo/Shutterstock.com