Molinetto della Croda, Seventeenth-century stone mill in Refrontolo, Italy.
Molinetto della Croda is a small rural watermill of stone and wood built in 1630 against a rocky slope in the Lierza valley, in Refrontolo. The Lierza stream drops about 12 metres beside it. Inside, the grinding mechanism with its millstone and the rooms of the keeper's dwelling can be visited.
The mill was built in 1630, with a dwelling for the keeper's family, a stable and a granary added shortly after. It used the waters of the Lierza stream at the foot of a 12-metre waterfall and was closed in 1953. After years of decay, the municipality of Refrontolo bought it in the late 20th century and restored it as a milling museum.
The mill stopped grinding in 1953 and is now a museum of milling run by the municipality of Refrontolo. Its rooms host temporary exhibitions, including a 2009 retrospective of the painter Angelo Lorenzon, and each winter the annual International Nativity Scene Exhibition. In 1977 the building and the surrounding valley appeared in the film Mogliamante with Marcello Mastroianni and Laura Antonelli.
The mill stands along the road from Refrontolo to Rolle, at the foot of a 12-metre waterfall of the Lierza stream. Inside, visitors walk through the grinding plant and the floors of the keeper's dwelling. The site is a museum of milling and a venue for exhibitions, including the winter International Nativity Scene Exhibition.
The 2 August 2014 flood that killed four people at the festival ground in front of the mill is part of its recent history; the building itself, backed against the rocky slope, survived. The Lierza drops about 12 metres beside the structure, and the mill was closed in 1953.
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