Menu :

Histoire

Personnages

Nature

Itinéraires par région

Journey back in time Flour mills, fulling mills, ice houses, are all activities that have been forgotten today. However, a few traces of them still exist discreetly along the path. They remain a heritage that it is important to reappropriate. The Birchio mill, known as the Travitacci mill In the 16th century, people were still living in the vicinity of the Middle Ages and practised a few crafts, in particular rustic cloth (linen, hemp, sheep's and goat's wool). The Birchio mill was built in 1863 and drew its water from the Prunelli river. The water intake is still clearly visible. The waterfall was 4 metres high and the flow rate was 120 litres per second. A pair of millstones was put into action by a horizontal wheel. The mill could operate all year round. The driving force of this small mill was up to 7 horsepower. The mill consisted of a single, very small room and was not inhabited. Over time, the mill was abandoned and then reopened. The mill was used to make flour, of course, but also for flax milling. Next to the mill was an open-air fuller with two wooden hammers, driven by a small water wheel. In the 19th century, the quality of the linen produced in Bastelica was renowned. At the end of the 19th century, there were three fulling mills and 14 flour mills in the village. The ice trade Another very old activity was the ice trade. As early as the 17th century, notarised documents indicate that the inhabitants of Bastelica traded in snow between the months of June and September. This trade mainly supplied the town of Ajaccio during the warm season. The snow was taken from the heights of Renosu. Blocks of snow were cut there and then transported by mule to the temporary storage area (a ghjacera). The ice house of Arbureta, on the banks of the torrent of the same name, remains the only evidence of this period when the ice trade was a real economy. The inhabitants earned a lot of money by working with ice. The circular building is located at an altitude of 862m. The ice house consists of a deep well, covered by a corbelled granite roof. The snow collected there was accumulated and compacted so that it could be taken and transported regularly to Ajaccio. This activity ended on the eve of the Great War.

Bastelica

GRITACCESS:

Contact :