Scalding water bubbles to the surface, spilling steady streams of steam into the air. The stench of sulphur saturates the surroundings, filling the nose of any visitor with the distinct, unpleasant stink of rotten eggs. The Devil’s Valley is a hotbed of geothermal activity. As such, it was also a hub for energetic innovations. The first demonstration of geothermal power took place within its steaming grounds in 1904. Not long after, in 1911, the world’s first geothermal power plant was built nearby.

The plant in Larderello was the world’s only industrial geothermal electrical plant up until New New Zealandbuilt its own in 1958. Though other such plants have cropped up around the globe, the small town of Lardarello still produces 10 percent of the world’s geothermal electricity supply.