The Cornacchino mines have been in existence since ancient times for the extraction of cinnabar (as evidenced by the discovery of ancient pottery and a coin featuring Philip II of Macedonia there). Modern mining of the deposit began in 1872 at the behest of Filippo Schwarzenberg and, as a result of the increase in mining activity, a mining village was founded in 1879.
Silicosis, a lung disease common in miners, was diagnosed in the workers of this mine but was initially called "cornacchite". The mine was eventually closed when the veins of cinnabar ran out in 1921.
Of the six mining tunnels, two have been renovated and transformed into a museum tour: the itinerary begins in the Quercia Gobba area and crosses Cornacchino gorge via a path through the woods that leads to the two museum mining tunnels known as the Galleria Ritorta, which date back to the period before 1889.