Abstract: Twenty-four soil samples were collected at three depths from an approximately 2.5 acre contaminated site in southern Piedmont (Italy) and then analyzed. The main soil parameters determined were: pH, Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), particle size distribution, total organic carbon (TOC) content and retained metal concentration. The mineral phases were identified by X-Ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD). All of the samples contained Zn and Cu resulting from industrial contamination during the last century, and those obtained at depths of 20-40 cm consistently showed the highest levels. To determine which size fraction was most active in the retention process, the samples were separated into four fractions (≤2 mm, ≤63 μm, ≤30 μm and ≤2 μm) and the amount of pollutant measured in each. It was found that metal retention was the highest in the clayey fraction, whose clay minerals were identified by XRPD after K+ and Mg2+ saturation, glycerol treatment and heating to 550°C. The clayey fraction was also the richest in TOC, and a direct correlation between TOC amount and metal retention was observed.