Moncione Mill

The Moncione mill is one of the largest and most beautiful watermills on the Island of Elba, immersed in a magnificent landscape, among the remains of ancient terracing. It is a balcony overlooking the sea with views of Montecristo and Pianosa.

Originally small in size, it had a horizontal waterwheel (ritrécine) that ran in a circular motion on a fixed portion below. Today, the vaulted room where the ritrécine (carcinaio) was located and the upper area with the millstones are still visible.

Between 1880 and 1890, the mill was expanded with the introduction of a large vertical waterwheel with boxes and a complex system of gears to increase its speed; this allowed the production to be increased to 400 kilograms per hour.

Fun fact: The heavy gears used to build the vertical wheel were transported on the backs of donkeys. The wheel’s axle, a single piece weighing 12 quintals, was partly transported on a cart and partly dragged by hand. The San Piero residents who helped with the project were later invited to a large party held at Moncione for the inauguration of the structure.

Wheat was transported to the mill by donkey, and on the return trip, the flour, the result of hard work, was brought home. The mill ceased operating around 1910. In 1935, during the Africa War, the iron parts (gears and axle) were sold for 270 lire.

The building is still intact; the bottaccio, the forced conduit, and the rooms for grinding the wheat are still visible.