Rudini’s millstone

A few hundred meters from Marzamemi, in contrada Lettiera, is the prestigious oenological establishment Palmento di Rudinì . The Palmento was erected in 1897 at the behest of Antonio Starrabba marquis of Rudinì, a descendant of the Starrabba princes of Giardinelli and founders of Pachino. It is an example of industrial archaeology of relevant importance in that, at the time, it was a very technologically advanced structure, comparable to the wine factories that the Florios had built in western Sicily. Characteristic is the monumental underground cellar that was used to keep the temperature of the must constant; from here, through long enoducts, the wine was transferred to the ships moored in Porto Fossa. In 2010, after impressive restoration work, the plant became a multipurpose center with an attached Ecomuseum, where archaeological and anthropological finds from the area are on display.