Comignago is a village in the province of Novara, 7 km from Castelletto Sopra Ticino. Once the centre of a thriving rural economy, it is now known for the mill races found at intervals along the River Rese.
There are still four historic watermills in the area: the Croso, the Vaglio, the Molinetto and the Old or Molinazzo Mill. Apart from the grindstones, each of these mills was originally built entirely of wood, from the channels that conveyed the water, to the wheels that activated the mechanism. Each mill had three wheels: one for grinding millet and maize, one for rye and wheat, while the third activated a mechanism of pistons used for hulling rice. Mills being the cheapest and least laborious way of producing flour, the presence of numerous mills in this area gave rise to a series of disputes and local feuds.
Today the mills have been carefully refurbished and converted to private houses, but in some of them you can still see the tools and implements used by the village farmers.