In the Orobic foothills of the Alps in the Brembana Valley there is a mill dating back to 1672 that was also a bakery, a cheese factory, and a blacksmith store. Appointment with a guided tour.
In the Orobic foothills of the Alps in the Brembana Valley there is a mill dating back to 1672 that was also a bakery, a dairy and a blacksmith store. Voted “Place of the Heart” for local community residents in 2003, it was purchased by Fai thanks to a donation.
Situated in a unique landscape setting in the territory of the small mountain village of Bàresi, in the Brembana Valley, the rural stone building dates back to the 17th century and still preserves a walnut press, a flour mill (dated 1672) and some evidence of an ancient bread oven. From the activity of these mills dozens of communities in the valley have for centuries derived the goods necessary for their subsistence: flour, bread and oil for food and lighting. Above the entrance a fresco depicts a Madonna and Child, while to the right is a walnut tree. Home to ancient trades and traditions, because of its historical, ethnographic and even anthropological significance (the entire area, in fact, bears traces of habitation settlements dating back to the Bronze Age), the mill has been listed by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. In 2003 it was also the second most voted property in the census, announced by FAI, entitled “I Luoghi del Cuore.” Thanks to a donation from Intesa Sanpaolo, the Foundation in 2005 was able to purchase the mill from the Gervasoni family. The FAI project included a recovery and restoration of the building and its mechanisms, so that the invaluable historical memory preserved in it would not be lost. The management of the mill was then entrusted to the local community.
Tours are held every Saturday afternoon from May to October from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. and in June, July and August also on Sundays, also from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.
