Deep Dive
Alongside hemp, the sweet chestnut was the true lifesaver of the Ticinese mountain valleys. Highly complex processing chains evolved around this «bread tree». To prevent the chestnuts from going mouldy and to preserve them through the winter, they had to be dried in special small stone buildings known as «graa».
This process was a delicate thermodynamic procedure: the fresh chestnuts were placed on a perforated rack in the upper part of the graa. Below, a steadily smouldering fire was kindled that had to burn continuously for exactly three weeks. The flames were not allowed to rise too high, which is why they were partly covered with chestnut shells from the previous year. The fruits were regularly turned by hand and cured by the constant smoke.
After three weeks, the «Festa della battitura» followed in November, during which the chestnuts were placed in sacks and beaten against wooden blocks to separate the brittle shell from the nutritious nut.
For transporting all manner of goods – from hay to chestnuts – the villagers used the «gerla» on the steep staircases of the village. These traditional, funnel-shaped back baskets were meticulously handcrafted from split chestnut or hazel wood and were an indispensable piece of basic equipment in every household.