Molino di Menicone
Seventeenth-century water mill in San Martino in Freddana with original millstones, gears and tools; free admission and guided visits on request.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Molino di Menicone is a 17th-century water mill: a stone plaque on the building bears the date 1679. It was part of the Palazzaccio estate, a 16th-century villa that belonged to the Orsetti counts of Lucca and is now called Torre degli Onesti. From the beginning of the 20th century it was run by the Santini family.
The mill remained in operation until 1980 and supplied much of Pescaglia and the neighbouring municipalities; it was the last still working out of roughly fifty in the area. Today it is the only water mill in the municipality of Pescaglia that remains intact. It ground wheat, maize and chestnuts to produce flour for bread, polenta and chestnut sweets.
The building retains the old stone millstones, the 19th-century wooden gears, the iron gears that partly replaced the earlier ones from the 1940s, and the work tools. The water channel, known as the gora, still sets the wheel in motion. The mill is looked after by the Associazione Amici del Molino di Menicone, which organises guided visits and educational activities.
Highlights
- Wheel and channel (gora) that drive the mill
- Stone millstones and 19th-century wooden gears
- Tramoggia, tafferia and buratto for grinding and sieving
- Original work tools
- Guided visits and educational activities
Permanent exhibition
- Il mulino ad acqua – The mill preserves original millstones, gears and tools and shows how cereals and chestnuts were ground.
- Founded
- 2001
- Operated by
- Associazione Amici del Molino di Menicone
- Visitors per year
- approx. 3,000
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Admission is free.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
According to the mill’s website, accessibility for people with disabilities is partial.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
From Lucca take the provincial road towards Camaiore; at San Martino in Freddana take the turn for Fiano, and the mill is on the right after about 1 km. It is about 12 km from Lucca.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided visits, educational activities for schools and courses on food technologies are available on request. |
