History and Culture: Rural architecture, Peasant life

Perlezzi Mountain Hut

Alpine Grazing Before Modernization

The history of the Malga di Perlezzi documents the transition between traditional alpine grazing practices and livestock modernization in the post–World War II Ligurian Apennines. Before the interventions of the 1950s, herd management during transhumance (April/May–September) took place in the casoni, dry-stone structures documented since the 16th century in Eastern Liguria. These were built on terraced land at the margins of common lands and served as bases for shepherds who, in rotation, watched over the animals during the day and ensured their shelter at night.

Milk Transport and Cooperative Cheesemaking

Milk was carried on the shoulders along mule tracks using the bazero, a curved wooden stick from which galvanized metal buckets (stagnun) were hung. Production was pooled for cooperative cheesemaking and recorded using the crenaà, a measurement system based on notches carved into small wooden sticks.

The 1949 Project and UNRRA Funding

In 1949, access to subsidies from the International Relief Administration (A.A.I.), through the UNRRA fund managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, made it possible to launch a mountain pasture improvement project. The malga was built on land owned by the Fractional Assets of Perlezzi (locality Moglia Negraia). The technical project was overseen by the National Secretariat for Mountain Affairs, while the execution relied on the commitment of the heads of households in the hamlet, who contributed thousands of hours of voluntary labor to clear the slopes and build the stables using lime produced in the local kilns of Vagge.

The 1951 Inauguration and Work Organization

Inaugurated in 1951, the malga operated under regulations aimed at maximizing production. Shepherd rotations were calculated according to the number of cattle owned by each family: the more livestock one possessed, the more days of duty were required. The first milking took place at four in the morning; the milk was then carried down to the valley by porters, who transported loads of up to 120 kg on their backs, destined for direct sale and for the production of cheese and butter. In the valley, the product was delivered to the milkman in Prato Sopralacroce, ensuring a commercial outlet for mountain production.

Cableway, Rural Road, and Agritourism Conversion

This demanding system was eventually overcome with the construction of the cableway (1953) and the rural access road (1970). Between the 1990s and the 2000s, thanks to regional and European funding (P.I.M. and Objective 5B), the structure was upgraded with agri-environmental measures and converted into an agritourism outpost within the Aveto Park.

Fonti

Maggi R. (a cura di), Preistoria nella Liguria Orientale, 1983

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