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The Capofarfa Oil Mill in Poggio San Lorenzo: Fresh Oil Amid Roman Walls and 17th-Century Millstones
In Poggio San Lorenzo, the last olive-growing village of the Sabina, at 650 metres above sea level, the Capofarfa oil mill has been in operation since 1600 and has always belonged to the Agamennone family. But the structure is far older: its foundations rest on the walls of a Roman villa of the 2nd century AD, that of Laberia Crispina, wife of the consul Gaius Bruttius Praesens. Inside, visitors can see a Roman aqueduct that once supplied the villa and, centuries later, drove the millstones of the oil mill.
A Museum showcasing the Via Salaria and Roman presses
In the museum area, visitors can walk along a stretch of the ancient Via Salaria. On display are the base of a Roman-era olive press and a millstone in local stone dating to 1850. The millstones currently in use date to 1940: in November and December they still turn, and the scent of freshly pressed oil fills the premises. From here, it is possible to reach the oldest pollinator olive tree in the Sabina, and the ruins of the castle of Capofarfa, set among olive groves granted by the Abbey of Farfa in the 17th century.
