The old mill

It uses the energy produced by falling water on the wheel of a mill. The use of the water mill, already known to the Romans, was developed starting from the IX century with the end of slavery. The wheel of watermill can produce up to 150 kg of wheat in an hour, comparable to the labor of 40 slaves. Along the plumbing system, the water flows with a low slow, arrives in front of the wheel, and in this way it makes a small drop and returns to the level of the river. Then the water is distributed for each wheel in a quantity controlled by a floodgate. The power of the water that falls on the wheel blades and  turns the millstones. Each wheel turns a millstone. Water returns to the river with a little canal. When the mill doesn't grid the water flows near the wheels. The watermills were used for many  purposes along the centuries:

The mills along the river Olona generally had two or three wheels so two or three millstones. In the 1600s along the 70 km of the Olona there were 116 watermills so 463 wheels. 

The parish mill (Mulino Prepositurale):

The mill belongs to the church of S.Vittore. It’s the most important church of Rho and it provided an essential service for the farmers. In fact the population ate wheat, rye, millet and maize.