Charcoal burners would spend months during
the Autumn and Winter in the forests when
the trees were bare. They lived in rectangular
huts made from bundles of broom, often covered
by turf. Stone walls formed the base, while
the only aperture - the door - was low and
narrow.
Inside, they would always be a fire burning
and a bed made from sacking filled with
maize leaves.
Examples of such places can be
seen in the Selva del Lamone. Similar beds
and huts are found in the Parco del Timone
and Monti della Tolfa.
Chiesa della Madonna dell'Ulivo - Tessennano
The Church of the Madonna dell'Ulivo (Our
Lady of the Olives) is today a deconsecrated
building (since 1840) which houses an antiques
restorer's workshop. On the side of the
walls you can see two small windows about
1 ½ metres above the ground: these
were used by the local peasants to pray
in front of the altar without actually entering
the Church.
…Because they'd sinned or were just
too dirty from the fields to enter?
Versione Italiana
