In past centuries, water power was the primary source of energy for operating machines such as mills, hammers, crushers, oil presses, sawmills, wine presses, spinning mills, and mill stones.

The idea of using hydraulic power to operate machinery dates back to ancient times. One of the early hydraulic systems known was the mill, which used the rotational motion of its water wheel to turn the mill stones.

Beginning in the 19th century, hydraulic wheels were used in various industries, reducing human labour by powering lathes for working wood, marble, clay, and metal.

The 1894-96 Cantonal Register of Public Waters recorded as many as 900 water-powered machines in Ticino. According to the subsequent Inventory of Factories Using Water as a Driving Force, conducted by the Cantonal Office of Ethnographic Museums between 1986 an 1988, there were still 97 hydraulic machines operating in the Bellinzona area alone at the end of the 19th century.

The size of the wheels and their types varied – some were bucket wheels, others had paddles, or spoon-shaped blades. Depending on the type of wheel, different systems of operation were employed.

When the natural water gradient was insufficient to power the sawmill, an artificial reservoir was created to collect water through a connecting channel. This reservoir, along with it’s canal that connects it to the sawmill, is called a “roggia”. The roggia was mostly dug into the ground and lined with walls to hold the water, but the final stretch, closer to the sawmill, was often elevated and constructed of wood to reach the height of the mill’s wheel.

This system allowed maximum use of water power, even with limited or insufficient gradients. The roggia, with its elevated channel transported water with greater pressure, ensuring a constant and sufficient flow to operate the machinery. The mill’s wheel, driven by water flowing through the roggia, transformed hydraulic energy into mechanical energy to power the sawmill.