Italian mining and minerals companies extract minerals from quarries and mines. And like the mining industry as a whole, thanks to the global recession, some have had a rocky ride in recent times. The country enjoys a broad variety of valuable natural resources including coal, zinc, potash, baryte, pumice, asbestos, fluorspar, salt, mercury, feldspar, pyrite, natural gas, and crude oil. And the nation's government controls every aspect of the sector.
In January 2017 Italy's metal products exports dropped to €3310.41 million compared to a December 2016 figure of 3539.62 million Euros, against an average for 2014-17 of €3649.17 million a year. It peaked in July 2015 at €4439.43 million. Early signs for 2018 deliver both positive and less good news for the sector. Crude steel production in Italy in 2018 has increased by 1.39%, granite production is up 60%, feldspar production has increased by more than twelve and a half percent, but salt has dropped almost 29%.
Eni Angola S.P.A is top of the list of Italy's biggest mining companies by revenue. They generated a massive 1,670,548,417.00 Euros revenue through 2017, closely followed by Total E&P Italia S.P.A, a division of the global business Total. It earned a revenue of 363,216,249.00 Euros in 2017. Atisale S.P.A, lower down on the list, enjoyed a revenue of 33,864,644.00 Euros, and in between there's a feast of hot prospects for marketers to mine.
Italy is also famous for its marble, used by the best sculptors, artists and architects the world over. Carrara and Sienese marbles are highly desirable, and the rock is quarried widely throughout the country, from Lazio on Sicily to Verona-Vincenza, Lombardy, Puglia, and Venice.
