Watermills

The Lastego, along with the Musone, is the most important torrent in the Pedemonte del Grappa and was once of decisive importance for the water resources of the area. It descends from the Bocaor gorge east of Cima Grappa, along the San Liberale Valley (formerly San Vidal), between the spurs of Meate and Sass Brusai. At the mouth of the valley east of Crespano, it develops a vast alluvial fan, carves a deep erosion furrow, flows under the historic Bridge of Crespano, and finally proceeds to Fonte Alto and Onè di Fonte, to become a tributary of the Musone in Riese, now in the open plain. A favorable combination of climatic and morphological conditions, now changed (primarily the presence of extensive wooded areas over vast stretches of the land), made the torrent known not only for frequent ruinous floods but also for a considerable water flow, capable of providing motive power to the most diverse milling plants and allowing the operation of flour mills, sawmills, and fulling mills. In addition to routine activities, it sustained the fortunes of specialized workshops in the wool sector for the entire processing cycle of raw materials: installations such as spinning mills, wool factories, fulling mills, or dye works already existed in the 14th century and fully developed between the 17th and 18th centuries along the entire bed of the Lastego, primarily in Crespano and to a different extent in Paderno and Fonte. From a mechanical point of view, compared to the paddlewheel machines typical of spring-fed watercourses and therefore of plain mills like the Muson, on the Lastego, facilities with bucket or cup-shaped wheels are mainly found, suited to mountain regions, where the torrent has a capricious water regime but notable water drops. Undoubtedly, the rational use of the torrent’s water resources is due to a pre-arranged plan for the exploitation and management of the territory and its watercourses by the Venetian State.