History and culture: Rites and social practices, Peasant life

Hints of peasant life

Land Management “a Manente”

Once upon a time, in the Ligurian lands, agricultural land was almost all managed “a manente”. The owner entrusted the land to a family who worked it, and the harvest was divided in half. A lot of wheat was grown, which was threshed in the small squares in front of the houses. To make the ground smooth, it was spread with cow dung. Threshing was a collective activity, as was the shelling of corn cobs, which took place in the evening, after dinner, with the help and company of the neighbors.

The Harvest: A Moment of Community Union

The grape harvest was another moment of great community participation. Relatives and friends gathered to pick grapes. Breakfast for the workers was simple: “sciacco” cheese, a type of soft and spicy parmesan rich in very small worms. Lunch was more substantial, based on goat stew, homemade focaccia and unlimited wine.

Traditional Irrigation Systems

To irrigate the vegetable gardens, various systems were used: the stork (“sigheügna”), windmills and the noria (“boredom”). Noria was an ancient technique: a donkey, blindfolded to prevent it from stopping to graze, went around in a circle, activating a series of containers that rose full of water from a well. The water was then directed into the furrows prepared by the farmer.

Domestic Life and Water

Until the early 1950s, water for domestic use was drawn from wells. The more affluent had a hand pump. For laundry, in addition to soap, peasant women used ash, lye and “turchinetto” to give a light blue shade to the linen. They washed at home, in troughs or near small streams. In Cogorno, they went “in ta vale”, to places like “dai Romani”, to the “Leisei” spring, or to the “Muine” valley.

Lighting and the Arrival of Electricity

Lighting, until the early 1920s, was provided by oil, acetylene and petroleum lamps. In 1925, electricity finally arrived in Cogorno, which spread to the entire valley by the end of the 1930s. In richer homes, the first radios played in the living rooms. The lucky few who owned them kept the volume high so that their neighbors could also hear the news and war announcements.

Peasant Life: Farming and Housework

Almost all farmers owned at least one cow and many chickens. The most beautiful rooster was always donated to the owner of the land. The pigs were numerous and were raised on “drinks”, made up of dried chestnuts and bran mixed in hot water. Pigs were slaughtered by farmers with the help of neighbors, producing salami, sausages, lard and other delicacies. The families took turns passing the pig’s tail, which was put into the minestrone to flavor it.

The Milkmen and Their Traditions

In the Ligurian hamlets, there were numerous milkmen and milkmaids. Late in the evening they collected milk from farmers and early in the morning they took it to the families of Lavagna and Chiavari, carrying it in drums on their heads or in buckets hanging from their arms. Back home, they dedicated themselves to work in the fields, livestock, housework and their numerous children.

The Boys and Work in the Fields

The boys, while going to school, had to help in the fields. Often, once they had finished their compulsory schooling, at the age of 15 they went to Lavagna or Chiavari to become an apprentice (“boccia”), learning the trade of a bricklayer. They left at dawn with a loaf of corn from the day before and some dried figs, placed inside a sleeve of their jacket tied at the wrist, which constituted their midday meal.

Sources

Bruschi R., Lebboroni S., “Ritratto di Cogorno. L’antico feudo dei Conti Fieschi attraverso le sue memorie storiche”, Genova, De Ferrari Editore, 2000

Bertani A., “Come vivevamo. Case, cibo e salute dei contadini in Liguria a fine Ottocento”, a c. di Marengo A., Savona, pentàgora, 2021

Plomteux H., Cultura contadina in Liguria. La Val Graveglia, Genova, Sagep, 1980

Porcella M., “La fatica e la Merica”, Genova, Sagep, 1986

Viarengo G., “L’Albero della Cuccagna. Paesaggio, alimentazione e cucina nella Liguria di Levante”, Chiavari, Internòs, 2023

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