The heart of the project are the “Grotti” (no. 1 -
BC1), which . In the whole area there are about sixty “grottos”, consisting of
simple, one or two-storey constructions above ground, in masonry with a stone
roof and with complex underground cellars. These caves hide a world on their
own, characterized by tunnels, stairs and under-rock constructions, now
practically uninhabited. The “grottoes” were the refrigerator of past
centuries: these places, fresh year-round thanks to their location, were used
to store all kinds of food, from cheese to wine, salami, oil and so on.
Starting from this aspect, we decided to broaden
the discussion to other points of interest that would allow the raw materials
to be collected or processed, and then stored in the “Grottoes”.
Unfortunately, in this first step of the project,
we cannot imagine to restore the entire sector “Grotti”, because it is made up
of ancient buildings in a precarious state; we therefore want to concentrate our
resources on the conservative restoration of a group of “Grotti” that are significant
both from a location and an architectural point of view. In a future phase, the
restoration of a new group of “Grotti” is envisaged, with the ambition, one
day, of seeing the whole sector revived.
Some buildings might be used for thematic exhibitions
about the environment, perhaps a “Grotto” could be transformed
into a place of refreshment or as a classroom for off-site lessons about the
rural world.
The Power Station is an old building for the production of electricity. The people of Moghegno established in 1914 the company "Acqua-Luce", which supplied electricity to the village. The water to turn the turbines came from the overflow of the sources of the country by means of large cast iron pipes.
Dry stone walls are precious artefacts that allow us to better understand the development of rural life in the past.
The dry-stone walls had several purposes: they were used as a boundary between a plot of land and another, as a retaining wall in the steep areas that were colonized thanks to the terracing or as real walls of protection for the country in case of extreme events, as in the case of the "Ripár dal Rí Scortiòo". This wall, together with another one existing further upstream, was used in case of flooding of the homonymous river and gave protection to the upper part of the village of Moghegno.
The "gra" were important constructions for the peasantry of the past.
These simple constructions allowed for the drying of chestnuts, which in this way could be preserved for a long time, thus avoiding their deterioration. The dried chestnuts could then be ground at the mill and the flour used for the production of typical local dishes. In the lower part of the "gra" the fire was lit over the arc of a long enough period of time to allow the maintenance of the heat necessary for the drying of the chestnuts placed on a trellis on the upper floor.
In the area of the mills there are eight constructions used for the milling of corn and chestnuts; each one is located at a higher altitude than the other and were operated by the waters of the Ri di Mulitt.
There are still two working mills: one is owned by the Patriziato and was restored a few years ago, the other is privately owned and until a decade ago was used to grind chestnuts dried at the gra.
Some chapels in the area have already been restored in the past.
We would now like to complete the work, adding these significant constructions. In the past, the chapels had a religious function but not only: they served as a resting area along the paths, an area where you could stop to rest and dedicate a moment to prayer.
Sometimes these works were built and painted as a result of tragic events or, on the contrary, thanks received and helped people to face the hard life in the rural world of the past centuries.
In the sheets BC8 some specific interventions on buildings located in the nucleus of Moghegno are described. The oven, for example, a building used for baking bread; the spring that supplied water to the village fountains; the monolithic fountain of great value; the entrance door of the C´a d la Cialèsta or the lighting of the Galéria. These interventions are unique and require a small investment.
