Along the banks of the Sansobbia stream, in the Middle Ages, canals were built, whose falling water powered numerous mills, already attested in documents from the 12th century: these were the grain mills, d'Alto and delle Chiappe, belonging to the abbey of San Quintino di Spigno. Between the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th, some mills were adapted to the grinding of paints and colors, destined for the pottery factories of Albisola.
In fact, pottery making flourished in Albisola in the seventeenth century: the numerous kilns were joined by the first color mills, adapted to dual use, which became a feature of the Sansobbia valley and in particular of the Ellera area.
The Chiappe mill was recorded in the land register of 1612 under Nicolò Isola, followed in 1640 by a building for grinding colors within the Molini d'alto, and the earliest records of the Gallò mill are from 1672. But the most massive increase in color mills occurred around the end of the 18th century, with the commissioning of color wheels in the two mills in downtown Ellera. The grinding of lead, the last product supplied by the Ellera mills to the Albisola pottery factories, ceased around 1930, when the Gallò mill closed.
The Chiappe mill was recorded in the land register of 1612 under Nicolò Isola, followed in 1640 by a building for grinding colors within the Molini d'alto, and the earliest records of the Gallò mill are from 1672. But the most massive increase in color mills occurred around the end of the 18th century, with the commissioning of color wheels in the two mills in downtown Ellera. The grinding of lead, the last product supplied by the Ellera mills to the Albisola pottery factories, ceased around 1930, when the Gallò mill closed.
