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Alagni: The winepress at “Tiganitis”

Westward from Alagni village there is another winepress chiseled on rock which dates from the pre-Venetian era. It is situated at “Tiganitis” area on an altitude of 500m above sea level. The treading floor, where people where pressing the grapes underfoot by treading on them, leans on limestone bedrock and has the following dimensions: 4,6m x 4m x 1,2m. It has double stone-build walls with large cornerstones and smaller rocks on the outside. The vat, where the must was collected is also quite large and the original mortar is still present. Around the press there is also a secondary large round press adjoined with a second vat. The boulders used as well as the form of the press show that its construction must have been completed before the Venetian occupation. Venetian winepresses use smaller rocks with a maximum width of 35cm, unlike the ones seen at Tiganitis. Even tough the winepress was prior constructed it was also used by the Venetians and a later possible use can not be ruled out