Olona mills

[1] Thereafter, from the 18th to the 19th century, there was a phase of decline, which ended just after World War II, when there were only about ten active mills still present on the banks of the river.

The presence of the mills, the abundance of local labor, the existence of modern and relevant communication routes along the banks, the presence of local personalities who had substantial capital to invest, and the long tradition of craftsmanship in the Olona Valley allowed the river, which flows through the province of Varese and Milan, to become one of the cradles of Italian industrialization.

[5] The oldest known document in which a mill on the Olona is mentioned is from 1043:[3] it refers to a millstone owned by Pietro Vismara located in "Cogonzio" (a toponym that later disappeared),[3] between the locality "Gabinella" in Legnano and Castegnate, near the church of San Bernardo.

Following these epidemics, wine cultivation in the entire Altomilanese disappeared, and farmers concentrated their efforts on the production of cereals and silkworms.

In other wine-growing areas of Lombardy, the problem was solved by grafting species of vines that were immune to the disease (fox grape).

The preconditions for the establishment of a consortium among the river water users occurred in 1541, when the so-called Novae Costitutiones (in English, the "new constitutions")[10][11][12] were signed.

Engineer Pietro Antonio Barca surveyed 106 mills between the source of Rasa di Varese up to the city of Milan, of which 105 were used for grinding grain while the last one, located in Milan and owned by the Reverend Friars of San Vittore Olona, operated a trip hammer for the construction of arms and armor.

[6] It was in the government's interest to find abuses and waste perpetrated by users, and to determine precisely the fees they had to pay for drawing water.

The livellari and conduttori, due to the money accumulated over the years and with the passing of generations, were able to purchase the mills from the historical owners.

[19] The mills of the Olona River were not only used to grind grain, but also to produce seed oil, to husk rice, and to move the machinery of artisans.

The wheels installed along the Olona operated the hammers for copper and iron working, sawmills (both marble and timber), and the tools of textile artisans.

[24] Many pre-industrial activities that arose in the Olona Valley, and which were the nuclei of the future modern industrial establishments, were implanted along the banks of the river in order to allow the movement of the plants by exploiting the motive power of the waters.

Industrialization of the banks of the Olona was thus gradual, with entrepreneurs preferring to exploit the hydraulic systems of the old mills rather than implant new ones.

[25] As a consequence, the greatest concentration of pre-industrial activities occurred at the stretches of the river where there was a greater presence of milling plants.

The advent of industry was the natural consequence of a process that, over time, saw the river play a pivotal role in economic activities.

In the early 19th century, large belts were attached to the water-driven paddles that moved textile looms, machine tools, hammers, and even the facilities of a brewery.

[26]An example of a company that arose along the Olona and originally exploited the motive power of the river was the Cantoni cotton mill.

In a document dated March 27, 1847, one can read: "[...] Mr. Cantoni, Owner of two united mills placed on the Olona, the first one known as the Pomponio on the map at No.

[22] Ten companies that arose along the Olona also owned small hydroelectric power plants to serve their factories.

[23] In Legnano, the seven mills in the city center were demolished by the large cotton industries to allow the installation of the more modern and efficient water wheels.

In the post-war period, due to the nefarious consequences of the conflict, the need for electricity grew, and the use of the old mill wheels became economically viable again, even if only for small workshops.

The old mills thus resumed operating drills, planers, emery wheels, etc., but even this new revival soon died out as economic conditions changed.

They were renovated for use as housing and have, on the exterior walls, some examples of sundials of great historical interest[31][32][33] and a valuable fresco from 1675.

[29] Located in Via Molini, on the Olona Island where Legnano Castle stands, it dates back to the first half of the 16th century.

It is publicly owned and there are plans to reuse the building with establishment of service functions to the adjacent park: bar, offices for volunteers and green maintenance workers, warehouses and storage, and locker rooms.

Located on Valloggia Street, it dates to the first half of the 13th century, and is in a fair state, as it still retains the original structure that is still recognizable.

This milling facility predates 1717, the year in which the Marquises Castelli and Moriggia, nobles of Canegrate and Parabiago, obtained permission from the Olona River Consortium to rebuild the weir.

The mill's name "Star Qua" is due to a story concerning an incident in 1853; to an order to vacate the premises by Habsburg army troops, the miller replied, "we want to stay here!".

[58] Within the territory of the municipality of Milan, the only example that has survived to the present day is the Molino Dorino, located in the immediate vicinity of the station of the same name on Metro Line 1.

This plant was fed by spring water from the Cagnola fountain, just before its confluence with the Olona, which today flows in this section culverted.