J Amis dij Balmit: Where the mountain breaths

The Balmetti are located in the municipality of Borgofranco d’Ivrea, in the Province of Turin. They are divided into Balmetti di Sacca, Trompey and Torrazza, also called "Balmetti above" or "upper Balmetti" and Balmetti di Quinto also called "Balmetti below" or "lower Balmetti".

History

The first written evidence of the existence of the Balmetti can be found in the "Campagnolo Book of the Community of Borgofranco" and in the "Cattasto", written in 1764 by the royal surveyor Carlo Antonio Vigna who recorded the presence of 9 Balmetti in the Regions of Sacca and Torassa and 2 grottos in the Chiapetto di Quinto Region.

Antonio Bertolotti, in his work "Walks in the Canavese" of 1870, mentioned 130 Balmetti.

In the last census carried out in 1984 there were 213 Balmetti, with 267 owners and 292 "Ore" (see below).

Most of the Balmetti existing today were built in the last decades of the 18th century and at the beginning of the following century.

Geology

On the slopes of the Serra above the Balmetti there is a system of junctions and fractures that go far into the depths of the mountain.

During the last glaciation, this slope formed a partial natural barrier to the movement of an ancient glacier that once covered today’s Aosta Valley and northern Canavese.

The enormous tensions developed by the glacier moving against the fractured rock, exerted an amplified demolition effect, generating further fractures and faults due to the compression and decompression caused by the expansion and reduction of the glacial mass. This glacial movement also caused landslides composed of huge boulders, known as a quarrying effect.

Rainwater and surface runoff water penetrate the fractures and landslide areas described above, forming an underground water system.

The circulation of air favored by the system of fractures and the voids between the large rocks of the landslide, in turn, causes constant evaporation of the surface water, with the effect of creating a particular micro-climate of constant humidity and temperatures of 7-8 degrees centigrade which, due to the temperature difference between the inside and outside, creates a current of air, known as "ore", that flows towards the external environment.

The Balmetti are located on this continuous passage of air and benefit from constant ventilation and humidity.

Caratteristiche costruttive

The typical Balmetto has a rectangular plan, spread over one or two floors above ground with external staircases. The roof is pitched and covered with a mantle of terracotta tiles or lose (stone tiles). The ground floor consists of a cellar, which is covered, in some cases, by rock or pavilion vaults. The floor can be clay, stone, or concrete. The walls of the cellar are partly in live rock, partly in bricks and coarsely plastered stones. The upper floor can have one or more rooms equipped with a kitchenette with the characteristic putagè (cast-iron stove) or a fireplace.

The external walls are, in some cases, plastered, in others, only exposed stone.

The entrance door to the cellar is made of wood, the portal is in stone and bears the date of construction, or the last restoration, and sometimes the owner's initials.

Some Balmetti have courtyards, which are accessed through a wooden or iron gate, a pergola covered with vines or various types of creepers, and a table with a bench made of stone or wood.

Use

The Balmetti have always been used as "natural refrigerators" for storing wine and foodstuffs, in particular cheeses, cured meats, fruit, and vegetables.

They also represent a very important element of the culture and traditions of the area due to their strong appeal as a gathering place for the inhabitants of Borgofranco d’Ivrea.

The Balmetti of Borgofranco d’Ivrea

History

Geology

Caratteristiche costruttive

Use

Gallery