La più grande raffineria di oli minerali del Mediterraneo e la sua storia, 35 anni dopo la chiusura

What remains of what was once the largest refinery in the Mediterranean? What artifacts might still be of historical and technical significance, 35 years after its closure? We managed to recover some old footage recorded during a special visit organized a few years ago to the area, which is currently off-limits due to its recent acquisition by a foreign company that is due to begin major redevelopment work soon. Since these interventions will inevitably destroy much of what remains of the old buildings, this documentary aims to keep a living testimony, particularly regarding the architecture and technology used in the large refining complex, preserving at least the memory of the surviving infrastructure, which will remain forever accessible to all interested parties. The topic is of historical interest from the perspective of industrial archaeology, but also from a cultural perspective, as it involves an important chapter in the history of this borderland, as well as a facility with numerous records. In this video, we attempted to summarize the refinery's long history in all its phases, retracing its sometimes sad and painful stages, from its inauguration in 1937 to its closure in 1987. This was made possible thanks to archive footage from the Istituto Luce and footage from the 1950 film "Aquila," directed by Jacopo Erbi, the American director of Radio Trieste. The film, produced by the ECA, the Marshall Plan aid agency, aimed to highlight the revitalization of the Aquila refinery, which had been bombed during the war, with nearly three billion lire, thus contributing to the revitalization of the city's economy and creating new jobs. The Società Anonima Tecnico Industriale Aquila was founded in Trieste on August 29, 1934, with investments from local entrepreneurs, primarily German and Italian, including that of Fiat, by Viennese oil magnate Franz Kind. Construction of the refinery began in February 1936 and was completed in January 1937, in just 11 months and six months ahead of schedule. The complex spanned an area of ​​400,000 square meters, and in addition to producing diesel and fuel oils, the new refinery also processed refined lubricants, mineral spirits, solvent gasoline, and paraffins. Oil flowed to the refinery through a landing stage, a dock, and railway tanks, where it was then stored in tanks and subjected to three processing cycles: distillation, refining, and special processing. The plant was structured into sectors: a cooper's department, an artisan's laboratory, a chemical laboratory, several maintenance workshops, and a fire-prevention system. Production was intended for both foreign and domestic markets. The plant rapidly increased its production, processing 25% of Italy's crude oil by 1938, the year after it began operating. During World War II, much of the production facilities were repeatedly and severely damaged. For example, the bombing of June 10, 1944, which caused three deaths and a devastating fire, halting production for three years. At the end of the war, reconstruction began, financed partly by ECAA funds from the Allied Military Government and partly by the Italian Petroleum Committee (CIP). In May 1947, operations resumed, almost returning to pre-war production levels, and in 1949, crude oil unloaded at the pier exceeded the one million ton mark. In 1951, a new laboratory was designed, employing 70 specialized technicians. That same year marked the takeoff of production, aided by the mass motorization that followed the economic boom of the 1950s. They also began producing lubricating oils for a wide variety of vehicles, including railways and transport companies, as well as road bitumen used, for example, to pave the Bologna-Parma section of the Autostrada del Sole motorway. The effects of the severe oil crises of 1973-74 and 1979-80 led to irreversible decline at the refinery, forcing it to close. Despite years of strikes, protests, and rescue attempts, on September 19, 1987, Monteshell, the plant's new owner, ordered its closure. For those interested in the topic, we recommend Fabio Zubini's excellent book, "La Raffineria AQUILA" (published by Ass.Cult. Fameia Muiesana). https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B08B... https://www.librerie.coop/libri/97888... https://www.inheritage.it/it/scheda/a...