The poor uses of slate in the Ligurian Tigullio

Deposits as a resource

On the mountainous coasts of the Ligurian Tigullio, slate deposits are found in great abundance. Grey, with its touch of austerity, this stone has proven to be a versatile treasure for those who have learned to creatively exploit its qualities. For each of its pieces, large or small, the inhabitants of Cogorno, Lavagna and Fontanabuona – where the slate is extracted – have found a useful use.

The dry stone walls of the terraces

With expert hands, farmers and artisans have used it to cover the rooms where they store the precious harvests, creating fresh and dry environments. The terraces – which you will hear here called “bands” – are made of this stone and were created to offer the olive trees and vineyards a little level ground along the steep slopes. Made “dry”, the terrace wall is resistant and patient, capable of defying time and bad weather.

Nothing is thrown away!

Quarry waste must not be wasted! Even the less valuable fragments have found their place in more modest, but no less useful uses. Agricultural canals, troughs for oil in mills, sewage tanks, pipes and wash houses. The waste slate has bent to the will of man, becoming a support for vineyard poles, wells, rural benches and steps to overcome the unevenness of the harsh terrain.

The use of stone for the steps of the “creuze”

The local streets that connect houses, oil mills and mills are often paved with slate. Within the latter the black stone is used in the “pile”: the surface where the grindstone, turning incessantly, crushes the olives from which the oil is extracted. Not only the streets, but also the “creuze” of the countryside are made of this stone. The “risers” of the steps, containing pebbles and earth, allowed the farmers to overcome the differences in level with greater ease, creating safe and long-lasting paths. Along these paths, slate slabs, positioned vertically, were laid to delimit the properties and mark boundaries to be respected.

The use of slate for growing vines

Finally, in an act of ingenuity, the slate was transformed into the “prie bose”. You can find these slabs of chiappa, thick and perforated in the center, embedded in the walls of the strips or in the upper parts of rural buildings. Here, they solidly held the wooden poles that supported rows of vines or pergolas, creating shade and support on summer days.

And so, slate, with its humility and versatility, is an integral part of the daily life of the Ligurian people, silent testimony of an ancient ingenuity and a generous nature.

Sources

Beniscelli G., “Ardesia: pietra di Liguria”, Genova, SIAG, 1972

Montagni C., “Usi storici e restauro”, in Mannoni T. (a c. di), “Ardesia. Materia, Cultura, Futuro”, Genova, Sagep Editrice, 1995

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