What’s in a windmill? It’s a question we never asked ourselves until we were standing in front of one, craning our necks to take in its impressive height.
We were visiting Fattoria Lavacchio, a farm in the Tuscan region of Chianti, learning about the land, the olive oil and the authentic food they make daily.
You can read about the olive oil tasting we did here, but this post is dedicated to the farm’s historic windmill designed by Leonardo da Vinci – the only working windmill in Italy. Called Il Mulino a Vento, and dating back to the first half of the nineteenth century, it was targeted during WWII because it produced food. In 2001, renovations were completed, and today it produces organic flour that’s used on the farm.
Our host took us inside to see firsthand how it’s structured – its masonry, rotating cusp and all the machinery used for grinding. Here’s a glimpse of the amazing craftsmanship we saw. (Windmill nerds, if you exist: This one’s for you.)
wandernester.wordpress.com 