Museum of Historic Grange and Olive Oil in Serre
Tracing the history of the ancient fortified farms in the Siena area
The Museum of Historic Grange and Olive Oil in Serre, a village in the municipality of Rapolano Terme, documents the history of the medieval fortified farms, known as “grance”, which have been part of the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala since the 14th century.
The Grange of Serre, dating back to the 13th century, was a centre of local agricultural production which was able to supply a good part of the dietary needs of the Sienese Hospital. It was a storehouse of grain, wine and oil processing. In order to preserve this multiplicity of functions, the Museum of Historic Grange provides an itinerary exploring this varied past.
There is also a section dedicated to olive farming and the making of olive oil, that takes advantage of space and machinery in an old oil mill. In these rooms there are didactic panels about olive cultivation and the making of oil in the 1900s, when the olive oil was still stored in earthenware jars known as ziri. Another area contains the Documentation Center of Granges that uses multimedia stations to familiarise visitors with the events that took place at the Grange, detailing the many stories of the Grange and the Grange System of Santa Maria della Scala.
