Starting from the twentieth century, many mills, sawmills, and hydraulic forges were built along the Astico stream, one of the main waterways crossing the Municipality of Folgaria, to take advantage of its waterpower. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, three hydraulic sawmills were operative in the upper Astico valley, on the Folgaria plateau. Among them, the Sawmill Mèin, located in the small village of Tezzeli, still exists.
Owned by the Tézzele Mèighen family (Mèin), the sawmill was built around 1850. Ottorino Tezzele, the last sawyer, kept the activity open until 1975 and produced enough to meet the needs the locals. The sawing could be conducted when the wheel was free of ice and with an adequate water flow, namely in spring and autumn. The transmission system of the sawmill is of Venetian-type, whereas the waterwheel is German: the waterwheel activates a vertical blade and a carriage at the same time, where logs are ready to be cut into boards. The period of maximal use was between the two World Wars. From 1989, the Municipality of Folgaria owns the sawmill and manages it through the Associazione Maso Tezzeli.
