Conall
The crusher consists of several circles, each for a specific phase of the oil production process. From the courtyard, entering by the door on the right, the visitor enters immediately the barn. Here the donkeys used to rest. They were the power behind the great millstone placed in the room just below the steps. The millstone is the symbol of the olive press. A large bathtub in the centre allowed for the breaking of the olives thanks to the weights of the three big stone wheels. After obtaining the paste, this was placed in between the fiscoli of different materials and then crushed through the presses placed in the main hall. The oil, still mixed with water, was then made to separate in the many wells found in the rooms. In the barn are also found the ‘olivai’, spaces for the storage of the olives. Down the middle room, in the lower part of the crypt the latest discovery in the excavation works can be found. A group of interconnected pools were found after removing the floor. While they were initially believed to be ‘olivai’, they are now being studies as examples of an ingenious oil sedimentation system.
At the end of the path, there is a well, fed by rainwater. It was used to quench both the miller and his animals as well as to wash the olive paste, obtained through subsequent pressures. Behind the wall, the bed of the miller can be found. It was crucial for his few moments of rest – just a few hours of sleep and a hot meal.
