On the island of Lipari, in the heart of the Aeolian archipelago, the vast white expanse of a disused pumice quarry stands as both a monument and a wound. The White Quarry explores this extraordinary landscape where geology, memory, and poetry converge. Narrated by geopoet Davide Sapienza, the film weaves together the voices of former workers, local historians, and environmentalists to recall a century of industry and its toll—on the land, and on the people afflicted by silicosis.
Through archival images and present-day reflections, the documentary confronts the risk of erasure: of stories, of lives, and of a landscape in flux. As the island looks to the future—with plans for a Geo-Mining Park, a Museum of Memory, or luxury tourism—The White Quarry asks a vital question: can we transform a legacy of exploitation into a vision of sustainable renewal?