During the Presepe Vivente which will take place later on today in Barga Vecchia one of the many people taking part will once again be Pietro Guidi (ably assisted by Giorgio Cella) who will be there once again making charcoal using the time honoured method that once upon a time could be seen (and smelt) right through this area.
These days it has practically died out and only a handful of the “old timers” still have any knowledge of just how this tricky and time consuming process was performed.
That pervasive and singular smell that comes from the traditional carbonaia – the earth mound kiln this year could not be detected in Barga Vecchia as the wind this year was blowing the smoke and smell away from the city and down towards Fornacetta.
And there was one of the main problems for Pietro and Giorgio as obtaining and maintaining over the whole period of the burn effective sealing against air and keeping good circulation, are the main factors limiting the success of a good burn or not.
Changing winds and circulation around the mound means uneven burning or holes appearing which have to be covered up straight away to keep the oxygen out of the system.
Today was about building the carbonaia.
A layer of earth is the base with a small tower like construction made from smaller branches which effectively forms a chimney as split logs are laid carefully up against it. Large stones are put around the perimeter to keep the logs upright. The dome like structure is then covered in straw and then covered over with earth to keep the oxygen out.
A small fire is then lit at the top of the chimney and once it is burning well it is pushed down to the base of the carbonaia. A drop of oil and some beeswax is added to make sure that the flames reach the bottom.
Once the fire has started to take hold, a “lid” of green grass and wet earth is placed over the hole and then the waiting starts.
The carbonaia is checked on an hourly basis to make sure that the wind has not changed, that there are no holes in the earth and that the fire is burning as it should – slowly and evenly.
