Mulino Aino

About the museum

The craftsmen's complex in the hamlet of Aino near San Carlo lies on the old packhorse trail that connected the Valtellina with the Engadine until 1834, leading from here via Cavaglia or La Rösa to the Bernina Pass. The mill and sawmill already existed before 1800. In 1801 the miller Gioan Antonio Marchesi leased the two mills, and in 1818 he bought them; together with his namesake son, he expanded the complex around a forge into a small commercial center that at times employed up to 15 people.

Water from the Poschiavino, captured about 400 meters upstream, flows through a channel and a raised conduit first to the washing trough and then drives the turbines of the mill, sawmill and forge. That all three workshops run on the same water is unique in Switzerland; the Venezianersäge is moreover the only regularly water-powered sawmill in Graubünden. The mill grinds buckwheat, wheat and corn with three millstones.

After a careful restoration in the 1990s, the installations were put back into operation in 2003; the driving force was the association Pro Mulino Aino. In 2015 the neighboring Casa Marchesi, with mill, bakehouse and paneled parlor, was added. Today the Stiftung Musei Valposchiavo looks after the complex; right next to it stands the Kulturspeicher Valposchiavo, inaugurated in 2021, where collection objects of the Poschiavo Valley museums are stored in an appropriate way and which is also accessible during guided tours.

Highlights

• Mill, sawmill and forge in operation, all powered by the same water
• The only regularly water-powered sawmill in Graubünden
• Washing trough, farrier's forge and water channel from the Poschiavino
• Casa Marchesi with millstones, bakehouse and parlor
• Kulturspeicher Valposchiavo next door

Permanent exhibitions

• Mühle, Sägerei und Schmiede – The water-powered workshops are shown in operation during the guided tours: the mill with three grinding stones, the Venezianersäge, and the forge with the farrier's workshop and washing trough.
• Casa Marchesi – The simple stone house of the Marchesi miller family, with millstones on the first floor, a bakehouse with a brick oven and a paneled parlor.
• Kulturspeicher Valposchiavo – In the modern collection depot next to the complex, guided tours provide insight into the storage and documentation of the cultural assets of the Poschiavo Valley museums.

Founded

2003

Operated by

Fondazione Musei Valposchiavo

Admission & discounts

Admission with the Valposchiavo Plus guest card.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The complex is at the southern entrance to San Carlo and is easy to reach from the Bernina road; signposts lead to the site.

Amenities & dining

Organic buckwheat and corn flour from the mill is sold at events.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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