Complesso Molitorio di San Maurizio e Museo Contadino

The San Maurizio milling complex preserves the agricultural heritage of the hills above Rapallo. Grain and chestnut mills, an olive press and the former miller's home form the setting of the Museo della Civiltà Contadina dedicated to Captain Giovanni Pendola.

Why it matters

Water from the rio Chiazzo supplied an interconnected system for processing crops grown on the surrounding slopes. The buildings bring together the technologies of milling and oil production with the domestic furnishings and farm tools of rural life.

What to notice

The oil mill retains a circular stone basin and grinding wheel, a screw press and slate basins for settling oil. The container known locally as the puieu heated water used in pressing. The cereal mill shared the same waterwheel. Outside, a single-arch stone bridge and surviving cobbles recall the complex's relationship with the historic salt road.

Context and history

The largest building dates to the seventeenth century. The property belonged to the Pendola family, and Paolo Pendola restored the complex through the cultural association La Cipressa, whose name comes from the local word for an oil press. The museum commemorates the Garibaldian captain Giovanni Pendola while preserving the working memory of the valley.