Il mulin dei Gaji

Originally, the mill was located along the Alpone valley, near the Gaggi district, and it seems to have ground grain until 1967.
It was the last remaining example, in the eighties, among the many that were present along the waterways between Vestananova and San Giovanni Ilarione.
It has been rebuilt in a location similar to its original site, using materials from the previous mill to make it visible for future generations, as it constitutes a fragment of local history and economy.
It has been placed in the middle of a birch forest with tables and benches, thus offering the possibility for picnics.

The mill is a small stone building with a square floor plan and a single-pitched roof, supported by wooden beams.
A stream of water, coming from an artificial pond, sets a large wheel in motion, which then transmits the force inside the mill to turn the grinding stones. To see these mechanisms, one must enter inside.
The operation of the grinding stones is fascinating: huge, rounded and flattened stone blocks (each weighing up to 1,000 kg). The grains of cereal are gradually crushed through the friction of two overlapping stones, and through the grooves (internal ridges) they exit from the sides. Through special conduits, the product passes into the sifting cylinder, from which flour, semolina, and bran filter out.