Pinca underground olive oil mill and caves

Numerous olive oil mills (known as frantoi or trappeti) have been found all over the town of Grottaglie but particularly in Via Ennio – though these have now gone – in Rione dei Paolotti and in the ceramics quarter at the end of Via Crispi.

The latter street, which is in the heart of the neighbourhood where the ceramics are made, was formerly the San Giorgio Ravine, into which water drained from the upper part of the town and was used in the production of oil and the working of animal skins.

At one end of the street it is possible to visit the Pinca underground olive mill; this is still well-preserved and is now a decorative feature in a craftsman’s atelier. Also worth visiting are two caves that were dug out of the rock and are currently used as ateliers where ceramics are produced and sold.