Charm, history and good food in an old mill

Getting there os not that easy, but the effort is definitely worth it. It’s called Mulino in Pietra, and it is a farm holidays: refurbished with patience and love by Luigi Pinchiorri, it welcomes those who want to venture into the heart of the Apennines with open arms.

To be precise, what once was the Mulino di Leguigno is located on the left bank of the River Tassobbio, downstream from the village of Mulino di Cortogno. The first documented information on the presence of the factory dates back to 1821, when the mill was run by the owner, Prospero Ferri. A first nucleus was already present around the 17th century; subsequent additions of other buildings were carried out, the last of which was built at the end of the 800 as a housing facility. Today, the facility looks exactly like it once did in the early ’900.

Two “L” shaped buildings surround a courtyard paved with local stones, that give the Mulino the form of an open court. The oldest part is the one on the left (North) and housed the mill factory and the living accommodations: despite its small size, until the early years of the 1900s it seems to have contained 4-5 families, a total of about 40 inhabitants. The building on the right side had agricultural functions with three stables on the ground floor, three barns on the upper floor, and a building for the storage of farming tools. The premises of the old mill are still in good condition despite it is no longer in operation since 1935: perhaps thanks to neglect it was saved from changes of intended use and relevant restructuring. From the inside of the mill you can access, through a small stone staircase, to the “Miller’s kitchen”, a rare example of living quarters still intact after nearly 400 years. The entire complex is really impressive.

Surrounded by vegetation, the Mulino in Pietra has three essential but very rustic rooms, it sells homemade products and carries out educational farming activities. The rooms inside the age-old mill are used as a very interesting museum, free of entrance. The restaurant is excellent and offers affordable prices, with traditional recipes and dishes of the area made from local products. Typical of the Mulino are the risotto al tosone (fresh Parmesan cheese), the tagliatelle barricate, roasted pork loin carpaccio with celery, lemon and rocket sauce, arrosticini of pork tenderloin. To top everything off, the Mill hosts concerts of blues, jazz, rock and traditional music.

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