Palmenti of Giglio Island: monuments of the rural culture

Wine is one of the treasures of Giglio Island. A treasure with a very old history. After centuries of invasions and difficulties, in the ‘600, finally, viticulture on this island has experienced its golden age, thanks to the work of the Medici family. And it is in fact the centuries between 1500 and 1700 that dates the construction of what today are called palmenti.

There is a road that from Giglio Castello goes down to Giglio Campese. On the sides of the road, or scattered throughout the countryside, you may notice the small “houses”, usually stone buildings. These buildings were once used for pressing grapes.

Each of these small clusters contained more rock craved tanks. In these tanks were crushed grapes. Palmenti had a very precise function: allow farmers to press grapes and keep the wort directly in place of the grape harvest, thus avoiding the hassle of moving it to the nearest village.

Today palmenti of Giglio Island are monuments in memory of the farming activity and a culture now fallen into disuse. And is one of the secrets that this island reserve to all its visitors, letting them enjoying a pleasant walk from Giglio Castello or from Giglio Campese.

Image source: Flickr.com/photos/salvalaio