Bird snares
The Lost Charm of Hunting in the Roccoli of Chiavari
In the enchanting hilly area of Chiavari, once pulsating with hunting activity, lies a past that is now extinct but rich in history: hunting. Here, among the gentle hills overlooking the sea, the morphology of the territory has always favored the practice of hunting, with precise passage zones and privileged areas for birds during their migrations. Once upon a time, before modernity altered the landscape with the construction of the Chiavari ring road, the area was dotted with a network of buildings specialized for hunting activity: the roccoli.
The type of roccolo
The roccoli had a precise and fascinating structure: they were small hunting towers of about three meters by three, just over two meters high, with an entrance that led to the stalking room and strategically positioned firing slits. These towers, located at key bird transit points, attracted the animals thanks to the presence of carefully tended shrubs and bushes. From these towers a “bogeyman” was launched which frightened the birds, forcing them to fall downwards where they were caught with nets cleverly camouflaged among the trees and bushes.
The imprint of a hunting past
Even today it is possible to trace ancient roccoli near the Castle of Chiavari, in the Villa Costa estate and in the surroundings of Villa Lagorio. But also on the hills between San Salvatore di Cogorno and Lavagna, where one of them is camouflaged among the olive trees, another stands in a small forest of pines and holm oaks and a third is hidden in the plain between the Moggia and the Reza, towards Lavagna.
Sources
Viarengo G., “L’Albero della Cuccagna. Paesaggio, alimentazione e cucina nella Liguria di Levante”, Chiavari, Internòs, 2023
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