In 1494, the Moro offered the Mora Bassa Mill as a wedding gift to his wife Beatrice d’Este. After her death, in 1498, the Sforza ceded the Mill, along with the surrounding lands, to the Dominicans of Santa Maria delle Grazie of Milan, who held the property until the arrival of Napoleon, who confiscated these possessions.
In 1803, the Marquis Saporiti redeemed the Mill and the entire estate of the Sforzesca from the Napoleonic state, then leaving all the heritage to his nephew Rocca of Reggio Emilia, to whom Carlo Alberto, king of Piedmont, would recognize the Marquisate of the Sforzesca in 1845.
Following an inheritance division, Mora Bassa passed to the Milanese Counts Archinto Gropallo Saporiti who, in 1988, ceded the stretch of the Roggia Mora with the related hydraulic buildings to the Est Sesia Irrigation Association, which is the current owner. In 2000, thanks to the will of Est Sesia and with the contribution of the Lombardy Region and the Municipality of Vigevano, the Mill became a museum.
Inside the rooms, there is an exhibition, composed of forty panels, entitled “Water designs the landscape,” which illustrates the territorial transformations that have occurred over the centuries, and an exhibition on “Leonardo’s Machines,” that is on the projects of the Florentine genius studied and realized by two skilled craftsmen: Gabriele Niccolai and Dario Noè, with the approval of Professor Carlo Pedretti.
The machines, built in wood, as in the 1400s, are perfectly functional and allow both adults and children to touch, understand and get close to this world, so far for us. The emotion of this place is also the room where the meetings between the Moro and Cecilia Gallerani, the “Lady with the Ermine” painted by Leonardo took place, and where legend has it that the spirits of the two lovers still linger.
Outside, the Mill has a large garden, part of which hosts a workshop-path for the study of irrigation water measurement systems and a multifunctional room for conferences, meetings, courses, and workshops.
Information about Mora Bassa Mill: Strada Mora Bassa, 38 – 27029 Vigevano (Pavia). Tel. 393 9517846. Email: info@lacittaideale.org
