Section 2 - Olive Growing - Part II

Here we contemplate the oil mill, known as 'a sangue' or ‘bloody’- in Ligurian, 'u gumbettu'. We promised you an explanation. The name is linked to the fact that the grinding wheel was moved by a blindfolded donkey, which walked in circles without stopping to turn the stone. "Bloody” indicates the fatigue that poor beast must have felt!Here, you can also see a few jars and the 'tröggiu', a tub of slate slabs used for storing oil.Imagine the relief of the people who lived in these spaces when production was plentiful! Oil was a precious and vital commodity for food, food preservation, lighting, hygiene, medicines and trade.