Water was necessary not only to move the plants, but also to reduce production costs and prevent the always dangerous and costly power cuts. This is why the Caprotti family’s cotton mill was built in Ponte Albiate, right by the river Lambro, where for centuries there had been a bridge crossing it and joining the banks of Albiate and Triuggio. In 1875, Giuseppe Caprotti family began the process of obtaining a derivation of the Lambro to bring more water to his factory, which was completed in 1881. The Manifattura archives preserve a wealth of documentation accompanied by splendid drawings of the situation of the river course in the area of the Caprotti factory.
Bibliographic references:
The Caprotti family’s mechanics. How a company used the prodigies of technology to transform itself 1860-1890. Exhibition curated by E. Sàita. Albiate, 6-9 August 2011.
R. ROMANO, The Caprotti family; the economic and human adventure of an industrial dynasty in Brianza, Milan, 2008.
