Stones from waterways

12^th April 2022

The stones that structure the wall, taken from the bed of the Tagliamento, are evidently of modest size, smooth and rounded due to the movement formed by the current of the river.

Stones from the agricultural founds

12^th April 2022

To delimit the boundaries of the fields, the stones found in the middle of the earth were used when it was moved. In the long run, after several layers, real dry stone walls were formed.

Stones from the agricultural founds

12^th Aprile 2022

The wall in the image is made up of stones recovered from cultivated fields - cut and bound with lime by professionals, so that they fit together perfectly with each other. Bonded with lime, they can reach considerable heights.

Stones from the mountain quarries

12^th April 2022

The wall in the image is made up of boulders - recovered from local quarries - cut and smoothed by professionals, so that they fit together perfectly with each other.

Furnace of Manialia

26^th April 2022

It is an oven for the production of lime used as a mortar for welding building stones and plastering buildings. Widespread throughout the pre-Alpine area as the raw material, limestone, is always of excellent quality, the final product was sometimes transported and marketed in distant places, but mainly served local needs. Typically there was a calchera in each village.La qualità del prodotto difatti era direttamente proporzionale alla qualità della materia prima utilizzata, ai metodi di lavorazione e all'abilità e all'esperienza del mastro fornaciaio. To produce the lime, limestone rocks of not large dimensions were collected, to facilitate easier workability, and they were stacked inside a special structure, the calchera precisely, made in the manner of a barrel, partially excavated in the ground and dry covered with other stones. Before stacking the stones, a combustion chamber was filled right under the pile of stones, the door had the purpose of allowing the entry of oxygenated air for combustion as well as allowing the ignition of the fire itself and the continuous feeding . It had to be a very cheerful fire, made by burning finely cut beech or spruce logs, and it had to last continuously and consistently for about eight days. The temperature that was reached was between 800 and 1000 degrees and the maintenance of the fire was followed by at least four employees and supervised and directed by a person of great experience, the kilnsman. To check the state of cooking, one of the stones was taken and thrown into cold water and the tumultuous (and dangerous) reaction occurred. Or you tried to pierce a stone using a special awl or iron, if you could penetrate it, the lime was ready. When ready, it was followed by the extraction from the oven, a very delicate and dangerous job. The stones, now transformed into white lime called quicklime, are highly reactive with water and could cause serious burns. The quicklime was thrown into a special pit dug in the ground and sprinkled with water, and caused a tumultuous chemical reaction. At the end there was the dead lime also known as slaked lime and was ready for marketing and use. An example of a calchera, well preserved and restored, can be seen in Manialia.