Gwangmyeong Cave and Italy's Iglesias Former Mine Tourism Exchange

Gwangmyeong Mayor Park Seung-won met on the 11th with Matteo De Martis, president of the Iglesias City Council in Sardinia Province, Italy, who visited City Hall to discuss ways to expand cultural and tourism exchange cooperation between the two cities.

During the meeting, both sides explored cooperation on sustainable tourism and cultural and artistic exchanges, including Gwangmyeong Cave's urban regeneration experience and Iglesias City's preservation and utilization of mining industrial heritage.

Mayor Park said, "Although the two cities are geographically far apart, they share a common history and assets in mining, offering many areas to learn from and cooperate with each other. I hope to discover practical cooperative projects by linking the strengths of both cities and continue ongoing exchanges."

In particular, he also proposed a special exhibition and cultural exchange events linking the Gwangmyeong Cave wine cellar and Sardinia's wine industry. The initiative aims to develop the wine and food culture of both regions into tourism content.

De Martis said, "After visiting Gwangmyeong Cave in person, I was impressed by how the abandoned mine facility has transformed into an excellent tourist attraction. Since Iglesias also has mines and caves with a long history, I want to develop the city's mining heritage into a tourism resource by referring to the example of Gwangmyeong Cave."

This visit was made possible after Iglesias City first proposed an exchange with Gwangmyeong through the Italian Embassy in Korea in March. The two cities previously exchanged at the "Sardinia Meets Korea HUB 2026" event held in Seoul on the 9th.

De Martis also toured major Gwangmyeong facilities including Gwangmyeong Cave, Strawberry Smart Farm, Gwangmyeong Station (KTX), and the Upcycle Art Center on the day.