Molinazzo

An old mill. A future worth building.

A historic place in nature, becoming a home for the Web3 community.

Read the idea Get in touch

AI-generated concept image, not a photo: a two-storey farmhouse of plastered stone with a clay-tile roof, imagined restored among tall trees in warm evening light; a few people talk and work at wooden tables in front of it.

AI concept - proposed restoration

How the old mill might look one day, restored among the trees.

Vision

A small group of friends wants to give this old mill a new life.

We hope that one day Molinazzo can become a place to learn, meet and stay in nature, if and when the rules allow. We have in mind the Web3 community: people who build and study open, community-run internet technologies. They would share the place with the valley: neighbours, families, schools and anyone who cares about its water and its history.

The mill once served the people around it. We would like it to do so again.

The place

Molinazzo is a former water mill on the Curone stream. It lies in the Valle del Curone, near Milan, inside the Parco Regionale di Montevecchia e della Valle del Curone.

A long two-storey building, once home and storerooms, stands beside a taller wing where the milling was done. There are rooms on the ground floor, a farm courtyard, a stone staircase and a loggia above the portico. Nearly three hectares of woodland line the stream. Nearby, a spring and an old wash-house, the "lavatoio del Molinazzo", recall how much the valley lived on its water. The valley is protected by the park and by Natura 2000, the EU network for nature.

Today the building is in poor condition and is not open to visitors.

A little history

As its name suggests, Molinazzo was once a mill. According to the park, water was led from the Curone along a channel to the mill wheels. The wheel has long gone, and the channel has been filled in. The park plan lists Molinazzo among the valley's farmsteads of historic or environmental value.

When the mill was built, who worked it and when it stopped are still to be researched. If you have memories or old photos of the mill, we would love to hear from you.

AI-generated concept image, not a photo: a ground-floor room of the old mill imagined as a study and meeting room, with a long wooden table, terracotta floor, bookshelves, plants and warm low lamps; a door opens onto a green garden.

AI concept - proposed restoration

An idea for the ground-floor rooms: a quiet room to study and meet.
Stylised map of the Valle del Curone Schematic drawing, not to scale and with no exact position: a stream runs through a wooded valley between hills; a small wheel marks the old mill; an arrow points south-west towards Milan, about 30 km away as the crow flies. N Valle del Curone the old mill Milan ~30 km

The plan

There are no dates yet. We would rather be slow and right.

  1. Now: listening and groundwork

    Nothing has been built and there is no planning permission. We are listening to the valley and to the park, researching the mill's history, and starting to design within the park's rules. The first step will be making the place safe.

  2. Next: careful restoration

    A restoration that keeps the mill's character and its old materials: stone, brick, timber, terracotta floors and clay roof tiles. It will have to respect the woods, nesting birds and bats, and keep night lighting low. Any work will need the approval of the park, the municipality and the other authorities first.

  3. Later: opening

    If and when the rules allow, a place to learn, meet and stay in nature, opened gradually and on a small scale.

Take part

  • Follow the project. News will appear here. Write to us if you would like to stay in touch.
  • Get in touch. Tell us what you would like to learn, teach or share here one day.
  • Offer a skill. Restoration, architecture, ecology, local history, open source: all welcome.
  • Share memories and old photos. If you remember the mill, or have old pictures or documents of it, please write to us.

FAQ

Can I visit the mill?

Not yet. The building is in poor condition, it is not safe to enter and it is not open to visitors. We will say so here if that changes.

What does “Web3” mean here?

Web3 is a family of open, community-run internet technologies. Here it simply means the people who build and study them: we hope Molinazzo can one day be a place where they can learn, meet and stay in nature, together with the valley.

Is it a business?

Not today. It is an early idea from a small group of friends who want to give this old mill a new life. Nothing has been built, and nothing is on sale. How the project will be organised is still being worked out.

Can I donate?

Yes, with a gift through PayPal or in ETH: see Support below. It goes to Silvio Meneguzzo personally, as the project has no legal entity yet. It brings no rewards, tokens, shares or returns, and it is not tax-deductible.

Can I help?

Yes. Write to us if you can offer a skill (restoration, architecture, ecology, local history, open source), or if you have memories, old photos or documents of the mill.

Are the images real?

No. The images on this page are AI concepts of a possible restoration, made with AI tools. They are not photographs and they do not show the place as it is today, nor an approved design. Each one is labelled "AI concept - proposed restoration".

Support

Contact

Write to Silvio, who looks after the project's contacts: