Quarries, business and controversy in Lombardy: record extractions at 616 active sites, and a third are concentrated in the Brescia area.

Milan, November 8, 2025 – Lombardy leads the way in terms of number of quarries, but the public revenue is negligible. This is highlighted in the Legambiente report, which sees the region leading the rankings for sites extracting natural materials for construction, along with Veneto and Puglia . Lombardy also stands out for areas where mining has been abandoned, with a total of 3,102 sites. In 2023, 412 sites were authorized, for 280 active quarries.

Going into provincial detail, the most updated data are from July 2025 (published on Open Data Lombardia) and speak of 616 quarries, most of which are in the Brescia area (255), followed by Bergamo (92) and Pavia (60). What is extracted? For Lombardy, 10.2 million cubic metres of sand and gravel make up the lion's share; then there are 965 thousand ornamental stones, 2.7 million limestone, 965 thousand quartzite or siliceous sands.

"Given this intense exploitation of resources, which impacts both the landscape and polluting and climate-altering emissions, the revenue for public finances in the form of fees is incredibly low, tied as it is to now outdated criteria," Legambiente denounces. The report highlights the loss of revenue for the regional economy: if the fee were aligned with the parameter used in the United Kingdom , cited as an example in the report (20% of the material's sales price), Lombardy would collect approximately €19.4 million, compared to a current revenue of just over €8.1 million (the fee is currently applied per cubic meter extracted).

Barbara Meggetto, president of Legambiente Lombardia

"Mining activity in Lombardy can and must reduce its volumes, in favor of more sustainable supply chains that can reuse materials obtained from selective demolitions, a technique that needs more attention," comments Barbara Meggetto , president of Legambiente Lombardia . "The region lacks a quarry plan, and fragmenting the rules across the different provinces doesn't contribute to innovation, especially considering the necessary planning for the many abandoned quarries."