Deep Dive
The most fascinating architectural feature of Corippo is undoubtedly the heavy stone slab roofs that drape over the village like scales. The construction of these roofs required highly specialised craftsmanship and can be divided into two masterful achievements.
First, the load-bearing structure (orditura): since the stone slab covering generates immense loads, the roof frame must be exceptionally massive. Chestnut or larch wood was traditionally used for this purpose. The trunks were hewn using the «uso fiume» technique – a method in which the trunk is continuously squared on all four sides, but the natural, rounded edges (wane) and the continuous wood grain are preserved, which greatly increases the mechanical strength.
Next came the covering with the «piode»: these massive slabs of local gneiss or beola were never industrially cut. The so-called «piodai» (stone roofers) worked the stones for hours using only specialised hammers to give them the correct shape.
The laying was done entirely dry, completely without mortar or nails. The stones were stacked and wedged from bottom to top in such an ingenious manner that they sealed solely through friction, the pressure of overlapping, and their own enormous weight, withstanding even the fiercest autumn storms.