Section 3 - The Hydraulic Oil Press - Oil Production

In the previous room, we saw the image of a humble donkey, patiently walking in circles to turn the heavy stone of the traditional mill, until it bled.But it was not the only possible solution for this type of work.Indeed, in this room there is a curious object: an exceptional wooden gear from a 19th century “gumbu” mill, powered by hydraulic traction, with elements dating back to the 18th century. So it was not a donkey that turned the millstone, but a far more advanced technology, which made it possible to generate more energy with virtually no effort!The heavy stone cogwheels, known as 'möre', were driven by a transmission shaft, with energy provided by a large external paddle wheel, set in motion by a watercourse. In the same room, you can see some mid-19th century steelyards on display. These scales were used to weigh sacks of olives. The term of measurement was 'quarts', i.e. 12kg wooden and iron buckets on display here. From 12 kg of olives, it was estimated that about one and a half litres of oil could be produced. The wooden wine press that you can see in the Room, on the other hand, is slightly earlier than the hydraulic mill and can probably be dated to the 17th century. The baskets, called 'fiscoli', collected the crushed olives during milling.On the other hand, the two Carrara marble basins can be dated with certainty to 1606: they were introduced as measures for oil by the Republic of Genoa, which included the territory of Toirano. As you leave this section, look at the oil lamps in the display case, which can be dated to the 18th and 19th centuries. Consider that Edison only invented the modern light bulb in 1879!