History of the country house in Umbria

THE BARON AND THE HISTORY OF ANCAIANO (SPOLETO)

Besides dating back to the 17th century, the Baron’s Mill is a mill like no other, with a history worthy of a brief introduction. The place name itself (“Baron’s”), combined with the name “Ancaiano” (a village belonging to the municipality of Spoleto), calls to mind precise and very important memories for local history. In fact, this ancient relic was once part of a vast parcel of land under the control of the Ancajani family, who also owned the nearby “Palazzo”, which they used as a country home.

The Ancajani family had already ascended to Spoletan nobility in the mid-13th century and resided in the building of the same name, which currently overlooks the “Piazza della Libertà”. For a long time, the dynasty exercised feudal jurisdiction over the neighbouring municipality of Ferentillo, as well as the famous abbey of “San Pietro in Valle”.

Many descendants of the lineage held illustrious positions in the fields of government, church and culture. Among them was a Luigi who held the role of dean of the University of Padua in the 16th century, an Antonio to whom the Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni dedicated his comedy play “Gl’Innamorati” (The lovers), a Carlo (1763-1842) who once commanded the papal army and a Mario who was the first archbishop of Spoleto.

The Ancajani Barons used the Mill of Ancaiano (Spoleto) to ensure they maintained their total economic supremacy, by directly processing the crops on their land. We would also be remiss not to underline the importance of the Mill as a place where people met to socialise.

The Mill of Ancaiano (Spoleto) drew the hydropower it needed to function from an artificial canal known as the “Fosso dei Molini”. Three similar, though historically less important, factories also harnessed the power of this canal, which demonstrates the key role that so-called “water culture” played in the economic history of this region. Water deriving from this canal would be collected in a huge storage tank (called a “Bottaccio”), which is still perfectly preserved today along with its massive stone walls. After a jump of around ten metres, the water would move a turbine which, consequently, would set in motion the heavy millstones.

We should mention that the machinery, millstones and many other tools that have been recovered from the Mill of Ancaiano (Spoleto) are currently being preserved and will soon be on display in a museum, as precious evidence of the history of the milling industry.