- THE BATTERY -
Our Pila, "the most spartan but .. true Queen" of the grinding complex; it was located in a small building (dated 1702 owned by Sciucco Battista di Abbondio, Livellario of the Augustinian Fathers of Gravedona) just upstream of the Antico Molino Maufet. Predecessor of at least one hundred years compared to the Molino, joined it however productively, from construction (prior to 1826) until 1870.
It is of the double mortar type, was used for the flaking of the barley.
It is a monolithic stone block in the shape of a parallelepiped in the upper part of which there are excavated two piles (holes) of about 45 cm in diameter by 40 in depth (Weight about 25 q).
On the sides of the monoblock there are two large carvings in which a large wooden frame was fixed. On the wooden frame were mounted some devices (strikers) which, moved by the driving force of a small external water wheel, used to drive the mortars for polishing the barley (or dried chestnuts).
In the image above on the right, the emblem of the Augustinian Order, under La Pila at the time of relocation
CURIOSITY : in the Teresian Cadastre, established in 1718 it is listed as the only Pila present in the Colico area. It appeared to be valid from the notifications 4 shields, about twice the size of a two-wheeled mill.