In the third weekend of May the European Mills Days are celebrated, an event which sees the simultaneous opening of all the mills in Italy and Europe with many events for the public (aiams.eu) – In Emilia-Romagna some take part among the most beautiful mills in the area, such as the Lentino Mill in Alta Val Tidone (Pc), the Mazzone Mill in Monghidoro (Bo), the Eredi Sergio Guccini Mill in Silla on the Bolognese Apennines, the Scodellino Mill in Castel Bolognese (Ra) , the Mulino Sapignoli Museum in Poggio Berni (Rn) – An opportunity to visit and learn about other beautiful historic mills – Here is a spring tour to discover them
May 16, 2024 – Watermills always release magic in the imagination. In Emilia-Romagna there are about forty of them, several of which, centuries later, are still perfectly functional and magnificent.
The ideal time to discover them could be the weekend of 18 and 19 May with the European Mills Days 2024. On this occasion, throughout Italy and in other European countries, many mills open their doors and organize events (https:/ /aiams.eu/).For Emilia-Romagna participating: Mulino Lentino in Alta Val Tidone (Pc), Mulino Mazzone in Monghidoro (Bo), Il Mulino heirs Sergio Guccini in Silla, on the Bolognese Apennines, Il Mulino Scodellino in Castel Bolognese (Ra) and the Mulino Sapignoli Museum in Poggio Berni (Rn). But there are other beautiful mills to go and see, here is a tour not to be missed.
Piacenza: Mulino Lentino, in Alta Val Tidone, celebrates with typical wines and tastings
The beautiful water mill in the medieval town of Borgo Lentino dates back to the period of Charlemagne. After many centuries, it is still fit and functional: it comes into action during guided tours (by reservation) and on special occasions. This will be the case on Sunday 19 May for the European Days of Historic Mills, when the Mulino Lentino will be filled with stalls for tastings of cured meats and wines from the Val Tidone vineyards, guided tours, gastronomic market, exhibition of ancient cereals (10am-6.30pm) . The settlement is located in the municipality of Nibbiano, 30 km from Bobbio, in the green Alta Val Tidone, at the confluence of the Lentino stream with the Tidone stream (mulinodellentino.it). 5 km away, on the same Sunday, in the alleys, courtyards and squares of the small medieval center of Caminata there is a celebration with “Borgo in Fiore”.
Modena: the Renaissance Còrnola Mill in the mountains of Niviano a Pavullo
To find the very small village of Còrnola, a group of houses scattered on the mountain, with a 15th century mill, you have to pass Pavullo and climb for another 7 km up the mountains of the Sassoguidano Nature Reserve, on the Niviano road (at the number 35). The Mill of Còrnola, with the large vertical iron wheel, represents a true jewel of Renaissance technology: the wheel was powered by water from the Lerna stream conveyed to the mill via a canal. At that time the mills were the only “industrial” buildings and served the entire small community for the milling of grain, wheat, barley and chestnuts. Today you can look at it from the outside and, closing your eyes, imagine all the events it has gone through over the centuries. The mill of Borgo Còrnola – In the Modena Apennines
Bologna Il Mulino Mazzone in Monghidoro Sunday visits, aperitifs and music
A festive afternoon, Sunday 19 May, could prove to be the right opportunity to go and see the eighteenth-century Mulino Mazzone in Monghidoro, on the Bolognese hills. At 3.30pm the guided tour of the mill starts, which will be put into action with the grinding of corn. From 5pm onwards live music and aperitif. The Mazzone Mill, still fully functional, is located in a very beautiful corner of nature, in the Piamaggio hamlet, a stop on the “Mater Dei” path to the sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Pompeii. It is part of a complex, overlooking a canal, made up of a period house, four rooms which house as many millstones, the ancient stable and barns, now transformed into accommodation for passing tourists (mulinomazzone.it).
The “Eredi Guccini Mill” from 1569 reopens in Silla on the Bolognese Apennines
What is now called “Mulino Eredi Sergio Guccini” was, in 1569, the first nucleus built in Silla, a hamlet of Gaggio Montano, on the Bolognese Apennines, among woods, waterways and pure air. In this mountain area in the last century the various branches of the Guccini family owned the various mills in the Upper Reno Valley, as well as that of Pavana. The business had been successfully started by Francesco Guccini, born in 1855, with an imposing build and clear ideas, great-great-grandfather of the current owners of the Silla mill and distantly related, like all the Guccinis in the area, also to the singer-songwriter. While waiting for it to be put back into operation (work is in progress), free guided tours on Saturday and Sunday. Info 3420672449
Ravenna: Mulino Scodellino in Castel Bolognese awaits everyone on Saturday and Sunday
We need to take a long leap back in time to 1300 to find the first documents on the Scodellino Mill, a hydraulic building in beautiful red bricks that attracts thousands of visitors throughout the year, in the placid countryside of Castel Bolognese, in the Casalecchio hamlet. It is one of the very rare publicly owned mills in Emilia-Romagna. The grinding plant is made up of two stone millstones, one fixed and one rotating, driven by canal water. Its curious name is probably due to the “scudella”, a tool used by the miller for milling. The Scodellino Mill has also joined the European Days celebration this year and awaits everyone on Saturday and Sunday for guided tours and demonstrations (10am-12pm, 3-6.30pm, amicimolinoscodellino.it).
Forlì-Cesena: Mengozzi mill in Premilcuore in a postcard landscape
Immersed in the greenery, among woods and fir trees, there is the Mulino Mengozzi in Fiumicello, a very small hamlet of Premilcuore. The landscape is truly postcard-like, among the peaks, woods and waterways of the Foreste Casentinesi National Park. Time seems to have stopped here. The mill dates back to 1500 and is still in great shape and can be visited (by appointment): you can see the grain (chestnuts in autumn) turning into flour in real time. The Mengozzi is not the classic mill with an external blade, but rather works with a wooden turbine that moves thanks to the water, taken from the stream, and which enters at high speed from a wooden and steel guillotine gate. tourismpremilcuore.it
Rimini: the tales of the millers at the Mulino Sapignoli Museum in Poggio Torriana
There is an ancient mill still functioning on the Rimini hills: it is the Sapignoli Mill Museum, in Poggio Torriana, a stone’s throw from the famous Montebello castle. In the main room of the building the large millstones slowly move and transform the grains of wheat into flour under the eyes of the public, who can then discover the images – and memories – of the old miller. The complex has been transformed into a museum that tells the story of the water mill system of the Marecchia Valley. Entrance is free on Sunday with free guided tours. (4-7pm). http://www.museipoggiotorriana.it/mulino-sapignoli/
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Published on:
May 16, 2024
