Gallipoli was once one of the main Mediterranean ports and an olive oil trade crossroads. The city was Europe’s largest oil market and its production served the largest cities on the continent.
In Via Antonietta de Pace, inside Palazzo Granfei, you can find the only fully restored Frantoio Ipogeo. Oil mills were built in rock basements, so as to ensure an ideal temperature and to facilitate the unloading of raw material: olives were introduced into the millstones through slits.
The Frantoio of Palazzo Granafei is carved into the rock and includes discharge wells, storage rooms, a grinding vat and large millstones. There is also an original wooden press, used for pressing olives.
The Frantoio Ipogeo has been opened to visitors very recently. It is one of the city’s must-see attractions!