The inscription is still over the door, in French: Laiterie de Tréby, fondée l'an du Seigneur 1897. It was a latteria turnaria, a co-operative where members brought in their milk and took turns carrying home the day's cheese: a system that lasted here into the 1980s.
What to see
The dairy was founded on 25 July 1897 and on 21 May 1902 moved into the premises of the Confraternity of the Holy Spirit, which had occupied the building since 1012. The tools and fittings of the trade are still inside, saved along with the building: this is a workplace left as it was rather than a collection assembled later.
Visiting
In 2000 the buildings and their contents passed to the comune of Donnas, which restored the structure; the ecomuseum opened to the public in 2008. Guided visits are organised during the spring open days of the Italian environmental trust.
Our editors' tip
Half an hour is enough, best combined with a walk through the old village and along the Roman road, both a few steps away. Anyone who has seen other Alpine co-operative dairies will notice how little it took to run one.
