Grains, Markets and Mills

Bread and Téstaieu: The History of Flour in the Tigullio

For centuries, spelled was the main cereal used to produce bread and téstaieu in the Tigullio hills. However, between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, wheat flour began to spread thanks to trade, becoming a fundamental ingredient to satisfy the growing demand of coastal communities.

 

Grain Market Centers

With the increase in demand for wheat flour, various areas of Tigullio and the hinterland acquired a central role in the grain market. The “villas” of Fontanabuona (Roccatagliata, Monleone, Pianezza), Valle Sturla (Borzonasca), Val Lavagna (Carasco) and Val di Vara (Varese Ligure) became important centers of commerce. Their strategic position facilitated the distribution of grain to the coastal municipalities.

Roccatagliata, for example, hosted a weekly market frequented by Lombard muleteers. Monleone and Pianezza had two weekly markets, with the participation of around two hundred mules loaded with wheat and other cereals from Lombardy. Borzonasca and Carasco were reached by caravans coming from Bobbio and Santo Stefano d’Aveto, while Centocroci opened the doors to Val di Vara and Varese Ligure, facilitating trade from Parma, Compiano, Bardi and Piacenza. Finally, Varese Ligure started grain trade towards Sestri Levante with a weekly market and an annual three-day fair.

 

The Network of Mills

The production of flour required a vast network of mills, and Tigullio was rich in them. Fontanabuona had 48 mills, the Carasco area 32, Valle Sturla 61 and Val Graveglia 45. This concentration of mills was possible thanks to the catchment basins, which guaranteed a good quantity of water all year round. This well-organized system allowed the exchange of grains, their transformation into flour and the production of bread, creating a real economic sector.

The history of flour in Tigullio is a testimony to how agriculture and trade have shaped the local economy. From the cultivation of spelled to the diffusion of wheat flour, passing through the organization of grain markets and the network of mills, each element contributed to creating a complex and vital system, which allowed communities to prosper and keep alive culinary traditions such as the production of bread and téstaieu.

Sources

Viarengo G., “L’Albero della Cuccagna. Paesaggio, alimentazione e cucina nella Liguria di Levante”, Chiavari, Internòs, 2023

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